Unfamiliarity
by Mythia-san
Summary: He wasn't into foreign-looking girls, and she sure wasn't into rich snobs, but a rooster shall tie their fates and ruin their preference. [OC/Yamaken] (canon!) [DROPPED]
1. Unexpected and Strange

**Last Written On: April 20, 2016**

 **Disclaimer: This fan fiction is non-profit, simply written for a writer's fangirl relief. Any familiar characters and references mentioned in the entirety of this fanfic do not belong to me, except for some plot adjustments to insert my OC in.**

 **Author's Note: Hello rooster fandom! I'd like you guys to know that this is canon from the _anime_ , and updates will be once a month for now. It might stretch to be slower in the future, since life will be a little crazy then for me as far as what I'm seeing of it. Anyway, I hope you like my Mizutani Makoto and her adventures with the grandma clothes, the chicken coop, and the blonde.**

 **Enjoy!**

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01: "Sitting Next to Yoshida-kun"

Part I: Unexpected and Strange

 _There's so much I want to talk about._

 _I want to talk about the girl who never really thought of me as a friend, but who I considered my only friend for a while. Her seriousness of studying, her blunt nature, her obsession for good grades, and her horrendous style dubbed "grandma clothes" made her distinct._

 _I want to talk about the boy who never stopped chasing after her, who always went through long lengths to please her, who named a rooster coop fence after her, and who called me his friend._

 _I want to talk about the girl who couldn't pry herself off of the Internet, who suffered unbelievably low grades, who was misunderstood, and who listened to me when I needed help._

 _I want to talk about the boy who would've seemed ordinary if I never bothered to get a better look at him, the boy who loved baseball, who smiled all the time, whose good-natured personality made me smile too._

 _I want to talk about the girl who couldn't make any friends because of a missed opportunity, who kept many things to herself, who had a low self-esteem, who had good grades, and who lent me her trust._

 _I want to talk about the man who would take me out for sweets._

 _I want to talk about the man who owned that one store._

 _I want to talk about those three funny boys who would buy spray cans to make graffiti on school property, who flocked to any girl that looked like one, and who pushed me to my concluding thoughts and feelings._

 _I want to talk about that rooster that was never cooked._

 _Most of all… I want to talk about the boy whose ego couldn't fit through the front door, who couldn't express his feelings easily, who always felt conflicted inside himself, and who I couldn't stand at first_ –

– _but ended up falling in love with._

 _Though no, I shouldn't start here. I should start…_

"Shizuku, your mom has dropped off someone she adopted."

Seven-year-old Mizutani Shizuku could only stare at the girl before her, whose eye level matched hers and whose expression seemed off. Both girls had the same stoic look, standing straight and unwavering, eyes focused on each other.

"What's her name?" Mizutani finally decided to ask, glancing at her father.

He shuffled through the stack of letters in his hand. "Uh, I think it was… give me a second…" The adopted girl frowned noticeably, irked that the father didn't know her name. Shizuku's father caught sight of this and flinched, rushing to get more papers his wife had dropped off.

Shizuku, sighing, took the papers from her father and scanned them quickly. "Makoto. Is that your name?"

"… Yes ma'am," was the girl's reply. Her sea green eyes that looked like a cat's began gazing at the little figure that waddled before her. It was a young boy that seemed to be roughly two years old, staring up at her with wide, interested eyes.

While Shizuku and her father talked a bit about her, Makoto blinked at the little boy and muttered, "You're cute," leaning down to pat his head. "If only I knew your name."

Hearing this, Shizuku temporarily stopped speaking to her father to say, "His name is Takaya," before continuing where she left off.

"Takaya?" Makoto echoed, stroking Takaya's hair with her thumb. She hummed in thought. "I now have a mother, a father, a sister, and a brother…"

Once those fond words escaped from Makoto's lips, Shizuku and her father turned to face her. They saw her smiling tenderly yet pensively at Takaya, in a trance. "Dad," Shizuku said, "Makoto should be treated like family. We shouldn't make her adoption such a big deal."

"You're right, Shizuku," her father laughed, walking towards Makoto. Her hair was a dark brown like her foster father, though somewhat more vibrant. There shouldn't be a problem with her feeling awkward or anything appearance-wise. At least she didn't look Western-foreign like Shizuku imagined she'd be, though she still looked foreign from her eyes.

The more Shizuku stared at Makoto, the more she realized that Makoto wasn't stoic – Makoto was soft. She was gentle, quiet, and reserved.

"Hey," she spoke aloud, slightly startling Makoto, "we need you to transfer to my school."

Makoto blinked, and nodded, leaving Takaya alone.

The senior high teacher, Miss Saeko, asked Shizuku to give someone the handouts for class.

Makoto, sitting on the seat after the empty one beside Shizuku's, looked up curiously. She was finished with her English assignment and was halfway done with her intermediate algebra assignment, waiting for Shizuku so they could go home.

Mizutani Makoto was a first-year at Syoyo High, and to her left should've been sitting Yoshida Haru, except that he wasn't sitting there. That person had not come to class once after spilling blood on the first day of school. He's earned a reputation, being mentioned as the "phantom first-year."

A month ago, Haru put several upperclassmen in the hospital, and the evidence of the event still lingered on the spot he beat them in, which was outside yet still within the school bounds. Makoto worried for him, but Shizuku dismissed those thoughts long ago before they could start.

Makoto had a dream, in which she'd find someone that she'd be close to. She never spent time with Takashi, her foster father, and there wasn't much needed to be said about her absent foster mother. She spent most of her time with Shizuku, but never were they ever even close enough to establish a "friendship," but enough for "sibling acknowledgement," or "inescapable acquaintance." Makoto adored Takaya, but the sibling love wasn't as mutual as she'd hoped.

Growing up, Makoto was naturally smart. She was naturally pretty, but not insanely unfairly gorgeous, no. She was naturally kind, and quiet. Many people, let it be boys or girls, liked her. However, no one was ever so close to her as to be her friend. That was why Makoto was determined to make friends in Syoyo High, and to find a really, really close friend who she could confide all of her thoughts and feelings to.

As for Shizuku, she had completely different goals that had nothing to do with making friends. Her dream required laser focus on studying. She simply wanted to be like her mother, and work hard – and that required no time for friends _._

The two were quite opposite, but didn't align well enough to attract.

" _Please_ ," Miss Saeko begged, "I'll give you _anything_."

"Saeko-sensei," Makoto finally said, standing up, "maybe you shouldn't ask Shizuku-san for such a task."

"B-But everyone's left already!" she cried. "And your father told me that you have a terrible sense of direction, so I can't have you do it!"

"Eh?" Makoto blinked innocently. "I don't."

"You _do_ ," Shizuku deadpanned. She stood up from her chair, and crossed her arms, snatching the handouts from Miss Saeko's hands. "I'll give it to him, but I want something in return."

"How about a new study guide?" Miss Saeko suggested with big, wide eyes. From Shizuku's nod, she danced in joy. Makoto smiled, but sweatdropped at the prize Shizuku was willing to get to give handouts to a dangerous person.

That dangerous person was Yoshida Haru, whose suspension was long over, and yet his seat next to Shizuku's remained unoccupied.

Shizuku brushed past the teacher, trudging out the door. Makoto followed suit, not before bowing and apologizing to the teacher for what she thought was "rudeness" on Shizuku's part.

"Hey," Shizuku said, as the two walked out of school to the city, "what have you finished? I want to look at them when we get home."

Makoto tilted her head to think. "Ah, I finished the English assignment, and I also made progress on our chemistry project. The research for that is done."

"I'm glad to be partnered with you on that assignment. I can't trust anyone more than you," Shizuku said, though her face didn't match her words. Despite that, Makoto knew that she meant it, so she was thankful.

"Oh, by the way," Makoto said, "your pigtails are uneven."

Shizuku didn't particularly care about what she looked like, but she didn't retract from Makoto's hands as she adjusted the ties on her long, golden brown hair. The green-eyed sister even fixed her bangs.

Makoto pulled back, satisfied. "There. Though, your hair is so thin. Is it naturally like that?"

"You notice years later."

"Oh, I've noticed for a while now. I just never comment on it."

"Yes, but it is just hair to me. Doesn't matter."

The cat-eyed girl stifled a laugh. "Knowing you."

Before long, the two girls reached the store where Haru supposedly was. A young man, presumably in his mid twenties, leaned on the front counter, smoking a cigarette and reading a magazine. He seemed a bit mysterious and untrustworthy, with sunglasses perched on his sharp, tan nose and piercings that lined his ears, along with a silver necklace and rings to top off his rather careless clothing choice. Makoto raised her eyebrows slightly to this, and tried not to breathe too much.

"Sir," she said, "are there not any 'no smoking' signs around here?"

The man chuckled. "Nope. Though if you're uncomfortable, I can put this away."

"Quite. Sorry." Makoto genuinely bowed her head in apology. The man waved it off with a shake of his head, telling her that it wasn't a big deal. With that said, he put off his cigarette.

Shizuku, not wanting to waste any more time, went right to the point of the deal, and asked the man if he knew where Haru was. "My name is Mizutani – I'm Yoshida-kun's classmate. Is he here?"

The man pushed up his glasses, as he took a good look at her. "Haru? Ah, he's—"

Suddenly, a tall, lean figure swooped in, yelling, "It's not my fault that Marco died!"

Shizuku paled at the abrupt scene, unflinching. Makoto took a step back, startled. Her cat-like green eyes locked at the boy before her, rough and nowhere near gentle. Why, he could look at her and she could feel like glass held in his abrasive hands.

His hair was the color of a crow's feathers, messy and tousled, and his eyes were steely and hardened. Makoto couldn't take her eyes off of them. They had such emotion in them, something she felt like not many people could express. It was something she had a hard time with as well.

"Haru!" the man sternly shouted. "I told you to control yourself!"

Haru scoffed, angrily stomping towards the man and the girls, "But, Mi-chan! He—"

"You can't blame Marco's death on anyone else," 'Mi-chan' interrupted. Makoto felt as if she needed to remember 'Mi-chan's' name, but decided that this was probably a one-time meeting, and discarded the thought. "You just suck."

Makoto calmed her nerves. She noticed a small game machine on one of the walls of the place, with "GAME OVER" in bold red and all caps on the screen. _He was only talking about that_ , she thought, breathing normally.

"Anyway, here," Mi-chan grunted, tilting his head for Haru to acknowledge the two girls staring at him. "You have guests."

"Hah?" Finally, Haru gave one look at the two girls – well, only Shizuku – and to their shock, he bolted towards the nearest window, and leapt out of it. Shizuku followed his figure, and grew unmistakably paler than before. Makoto exchanged glances with Mi-chan, as they all heard the clang of a body meeting metal trashcans.

"Um…" Makoto tightened her mouth.

After an awkward pause, Shizuku broke out of her shock and gave Mi-chan the handouts, neatly put in a large yellow envelope. "Here you go. I was asked to, um, drop this off."

Mi-chan nodded, sighing at what just happened. "Thank you for coming all the way out here. Sorry for the trouble."

"No, no," Makoto insisted, "it wasn't your fault at all… Mi-chan…"

Mi-chan laughed. "It's Mitsuyoshi."

"Ah, well then, Mitsuyoshi-san – we'll be taking our leave now."

There wasn't much more to be said. Shizuku dragged Makoto out of the store, and they headed home. Makoto leaned her head back to read the sign of the store she came out of, and it read, "Misawa Game Batting Center."

The two didn't walk very far out of the store, before Shizuku yelped and disappeared from Makoto's side. "Eh?" Makoto gasped, glancing around. When she looked at her left, she blinked. "Oh."

There her sister was, her body on the grass, pinned down by Haru. Her bag flung to the side, but that hardly mattered. Shizuku panicked, her mouth wide open at the sight before her. Makoto froze in place, mechanically turning her head to look for anyone who'd help. _Yoshida-san's harassing her_ , she thought, unsure if that was just her sight toying with her or what. _What do I do?_

"Hey," Haru spoke, low and harsh like Makoto expected it to be, "are you a spy working for the school?"

From this, Shizuku and Makoto blanked out. "… Huh?"

Haru's grip on her arm tightened considerably, causing her to wince. "Don't play dumb!" he shouted in suspicion.

"Argh, that _hurts_!"

"Shizuku-san!" Makoto shrieked, rushing towards Haru. "Wha – What do you think you're doing!?"

Haru bared his teeth at Makoto, reminding her of a dog for one second, before kicking her, causing her to fall onto the grass.

Upon seeing this, Shizuku struggled and irately yelled, "I was just dropping off some handouts! God. Now get _off_ _of_ _me_."

Makoto was shutting her eyes, rubbing the pain in her rear. Once she fluttered them open, Haru was climbing off of Shizuku, to her relief. He repeated dubiously, "Handouts?"

Shizuku, with a rational mind, scooted two meters away from Haru, never breaking away her suspicious eye contact with the boy who just pinned her down. "Y-Yeah," she stammered.

"… You better not be lying to me."

Shizuku shook her head. Makoto did the same. "No, it's true," she chimed in. "Please, just – don't hurt my sister. She didn't do anything."

That was when Haru switched his attention to the girl beside him. "Sister? You hardly look alike."

"I'm… adopted."

" _Oh_." Haru sat down more comfortably, groaning, "I thought you two were going to tell me to go to school like that one teacher lady. She was annoying."

"N-No! At least, well – I don't know – I wouldn't do that, but why wouldn't you want to – I – Shizuku-san?"

Shizuku stiffened, caught in her attempt to leave.

"What're your names?" Haru asked.

"Ah, well… I'm Mizutani Makoto, and that's Shizuku-san," Makoto replied, still quite nervous at that stern look the raven-haired boy gave to her.

"Makoto and Shizuku, huh… " All of a sudden, the atmosphere completely changed. Makoto felt the weight being lifted right off her shoulders, and she rubbed her pulsing temple. This side of Haru was not what she expected. She must've still been young to believe that people were purely one thing or another. _What black-and-white thinking_ , she thought with a small internal laugh.

Shizuku was speechless, as Haru rubbed the side of his neck and smiled to the side. "S-So this is like when someone gets sick and a friend gives him handouts?"

Shizuku, already stiffened, became ice. Makoto smiled awkwardly.

 _… Friends?_

"Oh, you can call me Haru! S-Since we're friends! _Tomodachi_!" he added, crossing his legs together and smiling wide. His oversized grey jacket fell off his right shoulder when he did this, revealing more of his red tank top and slightly-tanned skin. He leaned back and forth like a rocking chair, ignoring the grass stains forming on his white pants.

"Tomodachi?" It felt so foreign on Makoto's tongue when she said it aloud. It meant more than _nakama_ , or ally. It meant _friend_. He thought of her as a _friend_ , and the whole idea caught her off-guard.

Shizuku took that time to run off, leaving Makoto alone – well, with Haru, but still. " _S-She's gone_ ," she sputtered in disbelief.

"So she is!" Haru laughed, rolling on the grass. He pouted playfully, reminding Makoto of a puppy. "Maybe she doesn't like me? Ha, isn't that funny. Though we're still friends, because friends forgive each other, right?"

"I—"

"I like you guys! You're really nice, and not stupid like many other girls and guys I know," he continued, ignoring Makoto for a minute. "And you don't make me go to school!"

"Yoshida-san—"

" _Haru!_ " the boy corrected, sitting up respectfully and nodding to go on.

"Ah – um, _Haru_ … do you have any friends?" Makoto slapped herself the moment she said it, causing Haru to laugh. " _Oh_ , that came out wrong."

"Don't worry Makoto. I have friends!" Haru held up four fingers like a child. Makoto stifled a laugh at this. She had a soft heart for children and their childlike tendencies, and Haru was just like that to her mixed with a puppy and a wolf. Like some… adorable little monster.

When she thought about it, Makoto had long lost sight of Takaya being a childish since he "matured." _He's only twelve_ , Makoto sighed to herself.

"Oh, well," Makoto moved on, "I can be a fifth friend to you! Would you like me to be your—"

Haru didn't hesitate and couldn't wait for her to finish. "Sure! Shizuku too, we all must be friends! Okay? Okay."

"Ahh," she sighed, smiling. "I hope to see you again then, Haru-san."

The aftershock of having a friend came quite late, actually.

Mizutani Makoto had no idea where she was.

None of the houses looked familiar at all. Just where was she going? She didn't know.

Makoto bit her chapped lip, spinning around and wandering aimlessly in attempts to backtrack. "Why does this happen?" Makoto wondered aloud, exhausted. All of this wasted time could've gone to something else, she knew.

Taking responsibility despite her embarrassment, she knocked on someone's door. It opened, revealing a boy on the other side her age, blinking at her. "Ah… Mizutani?"

It took her a few seconds to recognize the face. Then, Makoto remembered that same face on a baseball player swinging a bat in the school's baseball field – that same face on a boy in her class, sitting not too far in front of her, his hair strangely up, and his eyes crinkled from that grin he always wore. "Sasahara-san!" Makoto exclaimed, releasing her breath. "Um, may I please borrow your phone?"

"… _Okay_ , but why?" Sasahara asked slowly, pulling out his phone. "Don't you have your own? Have you lost it or something? Oh, what are you doing here by the way? Did you come all the way out here to ask me that?"

"I – I got lost, because I went – I went somewhere and didn't know how to go back home. I'm too poor to have a phone, and I ended up here." Makoto sighed. "I'm somewhat happy that the person I went to for a call is you. At least I'm familiar with you."

Sasahara's ears reddened slightly, since they've never really talked before and yet she recognized him well. "Ha," he snorted, "you're fine. You can come in, if you want."

"Thank you. Pardon the intrusion!" Makoto gratefully invited herself in.

The interior of Sasahara's house obviously showed the boyishness to it, from the smell to the furniture to the pictures on the wall. "Do you have brothers, Sasahara-san?" Makoto questioned out of curiosity. Glancing at a picture, she saw a mother and a father, with four boys and a cat.

"Yeah, I have three of them," he said, shrugging. "Oh, and you can call me Sasayan, Mizutani. Uh, do you want me to call you something else too, since your name is like Mizutani Shizuku's?"

Makoto was dialing, then stopped. She didn't think about that at all, since she thought that he wouldn't talk to her that much again, much less for him to ever address Shizuku. After all, Shizuku never really talked to anyone, and Makoto herself wasn't _that_ familiar with Sasayan. But still, she smiled at this, finding this as a chance to make friends, and turned to him. "I'm Makoto. Nice to meet you like this, Sasayan."

"Alright. Though, not that I'm against calling you by your given name, but – are you really okay with me calling you that?"

Makoto shook her head and asked, "Why wouldn't I?"

"Oh, okay. It's just that we're not really, you know, close?"

"I know, no worries."

"Just making sure… hmm… Mako-Mako."

Makoto almost dropped Sasayan's phone. "W – hat?"

Sasayan covered his face and chuckled goodheartedly in it to cover his embarrassment. "Just wanted to try it out," he managed to say.

"Ahh, well, I don't mind…"

She called the house phone, and her father picked up. Makoto told him where she was, and assured him that she was fine. Shizuku was in trouble, but what kind of punishment would she get? No more TV privileges? No more phone privileges? No more computer use? That wasn't Shizuku. Maybe her punishments could be more of, no more going to the library, or no more studying and go to a party.

Once she was home, she plopped on the bed beside Shizuku's. "I'm tired."

"You must have been," Shizuku sighed. "And I apologize for leaving you with _him_. For that, dad said no to the study guide end of the bargain. What a waste of time and effort on my end."

"I'm sure that's torture for you."

"Oh, by the way, dad said you were at a classmate's house. Who was it, and how did you find that person's house?"

"I don't know how I managed to find Sasayan-san's house, but it just happened. I should've asked Haru-san to walk me home…"

Shizuku gave her a look. "I'm glad you didn't. That guy is crazy. Incomprehensible. Disturbing. I hope I never have to get involved with him again."


	2. Harsh but Beautiful

**Last Written On: June 22, 2016**

 **Disclaimer: This fan fiction is non-profit, simply written for a writer's fangirl relief. Any familiar characters and references mentioned in the entirety of this fanfic do not belong to me, except for some plot adjustments to insert my OC in.**

 **Author's Note: I hope I can pull of updating once a month. I really do.  
**

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01: "Sitting Next to Yoshida-kun"

Part II: Harsh but Beautiful

"How did that happen!?"

Makoto smiled as she sweatdropped, remembering the previous day. "I don't know, but somehow we did something, and Haru-san dubbed us his 'friends.'"

"That's amazing! If that's the case, can you persuade him to come to school?" Miss Saeko asked, sitting expectantly on her chair in the teacher's workroom.

Shizuku hardened her face. "Persuade?"

"Yoshida-kun's suspension has already been lifted, as you know," Miss Saeko said calmly. "He did get a bit carried away, but the upperclassmen were partially at fault for pushing him so far as to take such drastic measures. When it happened, he was suspended without any discussion, so it's natural for him not to trust the school anymore for their lack of hearing any form of explanation he might've had."

Makoto parted her lips at this. "I've never heard it like this."

"Now, now, there're a lot of stories going around about Yoshida-kun, am I right?" Miss Saeko smiled sadly. "I'd have trouble sleeping at night if he quits school as a result of what has happened… thus, I'd really love it if you two would persuade him to come back."

Makoto didn't answer immediately. However, with a smile plastered on her face, Shizuku replied, "I refuse."

As Shizuku left with Makoto rooted to the ground, stunned, Miss Saeko stood up from her chair and cried, "W-Why! I really, _really_ need your help!" as she held on to Shizuku's shoulders as if her life depended on it. However, Shizuku coldly shoved her away, pacing faster in the hallway.

Makoto blinked up at them, still standing on the same spot she was in the beginning.

"Are you a blizzard? A raging blizzard! So cold, Mizutani- _san_!"

"This is so out of the question," Shizuku muttered, as she walked along. Makoto, finally able to move her body, ran up to her teacher sprawled on the floor, in the hallway, bawling her eyes out.

"Sensei…"

Makoto decided not to say it. Her stretched pants only revealed a bit of her panties anyway.

* * *

Shizuku clenched her jaw, irritated. "I'm staying clear of that guy," she vowed. "You should too, to keep your sanity while you still have it Makoto."

Makoto glanced at her, watching her read a tiny book or pamphlet of some sort. Closing her eyes, she took out her iPod from her front pocket, a gift she had gotten for her fourteenth birthday. Placing the earphones in her ears, she played a song, humming softly to the music.

It was pretty loud, so she didn't notice anything when Shizuku was being snatched into a dark alley. When she did notice was when she was talking to nothing as she rambled, "Haru-san isn't that bad. He's a misunderstood person. Didn't you hear Saeko-sen… sei…?"

She paused her music, swiveling around in panic. "Shizuku-san! Where are you?"

In a wild state, Makoto sprinted around the city, losing herself several times. She ran around for hours, and the sun was setting when she was winded, unable to run anymore. Even still, she tried to run for – for her sister – her _friend_ – Mizutani Shizuku.

She stopped in her tracks when she yelped at a bunny that hopped before her, leaping into the bushes. Her eyes followed the furry, brown creature, as she tried to breathe and swallow. Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she sat down on the bench.

 _I remember… when Shizuku didn't cry for Mimi the class pet bunny._

 _"Yes, Mimi lived a happy life," the sensei had said, "since she had so many friends."_

 _Everyone huddled with tears in their eyes before the dead animal, its eyes closed as to say goodbye. I wasn't crying with them, because I hardly spent time with that bunny. Why would I cry over a bunny I wasn't emotionally attached to? I likely wouldn't even cry if Shizuku died at that time._

 _Despite that, I was with the classmates, patting each and every one of their heads. "I'm sure Mimi is in a good place now," I had told them._

 _"You mean, in Heaven?" a boy asked with twinkling, hopeful eyes._

 _I nodded, offering a little smile. "Yeah."_

 _Shizuku stood far away from us, in front of the door, all ready to leave. Sensei asked, "What's wrong, Mizutani?"_

 _"I need to do my homework," was what she said, "so can I go home now?"_

 _All of the students had gaped at her in incredulity, shocked at her pitiless words. I apologized for her, because even that had stabbed something in me, and it was downright brutal._

 _From then on, I remember the students calling Shizuku-san "Dry Ice." I didn't call her that, because I didn't see her as that. But if I did, I would've followed suit, despite being her sister. I understood that Shizuku grew up without her mother since she was six, a year and a half before I was adopted into her family, and that she wanted to be like her. That was why I understood that calling her "Dry Ice" wouldn't do anything but insult her dream, not her._

 _Also… I knew what it was like to not have a mother around. You grew up without that motherly fondness with you. Shizuku was too young to really feel emotion when her mother raised her. I was just born when my birth mother died. My father was killed in a bombing at his workplace before I could turn one._

 _I understood if she wasn't sad for that bunny, because motherly fondness led to feelings, and without a mother, no one truly had the proper feelings. They were always confused, leaving them as a robotic, blunt type._

 _Though I'm frank myself, I… I feel as though those points don't apply to me. When you grow up with no one around to love, you want to dump any love on someone. I cared for Shizuku, and still do, but that's_ – _that's sibling love. Though, that motherly love, and fatherly love, I_ – _I can't. My birth parents, they are_ – _even though I'll never meet them, they're my_ parents _. I wouldn't exist without them. I'm sure they would've loved and cared for me if they were here today._

 _And as for that other love, I long for that as well. But I'm slightly more worried about Shizuku's love life, if she'll ever find that one person, than my own._

 _With her personality, how will she ever learn to love?_

Cooled down, Makoto stood up. Even though the sun was setting, it was hot outside, so she entered the restaurant beside the bench she was sitting on. Upon stepping into the restaurant, her eyes widened at the resolution. Lo and behold, Shizuku sat on that green chair. Like, right there. Eating a hamburger – eating…

… with Haru?

Though the part that kept her in place was the four other guys that surrounded the two. _Who are those guys?_

A tall, blond boy, whose hair fell upon his face and eyes ran sharper than Haru's stepped before the raven-haired boy, acting all familiar with him through his words. "Yo, Haru."

'Yo?' Makoto mouthed. _Can I say that to Haru-san?_

"What's up, Yamaken?" Haru said, looking up from his drink.

'What's up?' _I want to say 'What's up' to Haru-san…_

Glancing at the girl in pigtails, Yamaken asked, "Who's the girl?"

"Ah! She's my friend Shizuku. I would've dragged both girls out here, but I like this one more."

Shizuku's ears burned. "W-What do you take me for!?"

Makoto's heart dropped. _Does_ – _does he not like me?_ She looked at her shoes, dirty from running everywhere. _I wonder what part of me is repulsive_ – _maybe it's because of what I look like? Do my eyes freak him out? It freaked out many people in middle school, so maybe… I…_

"So, Haru," a quite short boy in a pink hoodie and a white cap worn backwards said, "could you lend me some money?" He leaned on the chair Shizuku sat on, and Makoto noticed how her sister tried her best to ignore his insolence.

"Again?"

Both Makoto and Shizuku opened up their ears, thinking just what their deal was with Haru. They're clearly 'friends.'

"I screwed up and my allowance was cut. Come on, aren't we _friends_?" The boy shrugged it off, as if the friendship was loose yet tight. The "aren't we friends" card disgusted Makoto for some unknown reason, considering she had never heard those words spoken to her.

Haru was thinking of a way to say no, but "friend" was the trigger to getting on his good side, and his face turned giddy. He instantly gave him a wad of bills. Shizuku's head was pointedly straight ahead of her, but her eyes wandered over to the cash held from one hand to another.

 _God_ , Makoto remarked inwardly. _That boy is obviously taking advantage of you, Haru. Even though you probably don't like me, I_ – _as a friend, I…_

Makoto snapped her thoughts in two when she saw the blonde boy watching Shizuku from the corner of his eyes, as he was about to leave. _What?_

"So how was it?"

Shizuku looked up. "Huh?"

Suddenly riled, Haru stood up and slammed his hand on the table, causing Shizuku to tremble. " _Don't play dumb!_ I know you went to school today!" he roared. "Goddammit, should've brought _Makoto_ here."

"W-What's your point?"

The atmosphere then felt strange.

"Oi."

"Eh?" Makoto turned around. It was then that she realized that she was hiding behind a counter, seemingly stalking her sister and her… friend.

The blond boy from before peered over her, being a head taller. "What are you doing?"

Makoto recoiled, prying her hands off of the counter. "N-Nothing," she uttered quietly, patting down her pleated skirt.

" _Nothing_ , _huh_?" Yamaken shot her an unconvinced look.

"Oi, what are you doing? Let's go, Yamaken!" the boy in the white cap whined. On sight of Makoto, he smirked. "Oh, _I see_. You have business to attend to. Well, I'd flirt with that foreign beauty too, but I've got cash to spend!"

Makoto's eyes widened. "Wha – what – huh?"

Yamaken's cheeks flushed slightly, more focused on growing that pulsing vein on his face to show off his boiling blood. He harshly glared at the boy, before huffing and turning around. "They aren't worth stalking," was all he said to Makoto. He then turned back and walked out.

Makoto swallowed. For some reason, upon closer speculation, that boy… his watch, his smell, those clothes… those shoes…

 _What the heck? He's rich…!_

While Haru said, "S-So this is kinda like hanging out with a friend after school, huh?", Shizuku analyzed this and asked him if he wanted to go to school. For a moment there, Haru gave her a rigid look, as if to say that the question was unspeakable. Then, he gave in, and quietly confessed, "I'm scared."

Makoto pressed her lips together, conflicted. She wanted to sit with them, but then that'd be weird. She could act it all cool and rush in there, pretending that she just got there and that she was looking everywhere for her sister. But one thing she learned from her caretaker in the orphanage she lived in when she was young, was that you should. _Not_. _Lie_.

Haru continued, "Everyone is always afraid of me for some reason. It doesn't take long before they all start avoiding me. That's why… I can't bring myself to go to school."

There was a brief silence, before Haru smiled and said, "But you and Makoto were the first ones from school to ever come to my home, and those guys were the first people to hang out with me without being scared, so I don't need to go to school now."

Shizuku, sipping thoughtfully with her hand supporting her head, looked up upon hearing the last part. "You're the only one who sees it that way."

Makoto held her breath. Haru hummed in question, ears open.

"Real friends wouldn't use you for money," she said seriously. "I don't have any friends, so I'm no expert, but I'd rather have no friends than have friends like them."

That was all it took for Haru to dump his orange soda on her head. As he stood up and strode out, he mumbled, "You're a bad person."

As he grew closer to Makoto, she tightened her jaw, and faced her awkwardness. "Ah – hi, Haru…"

He gave her a look, and Makoto wondered if he thought of her as a bad person as well. She felt awful for that, and couldn't look at him. "I – I'm sorry for your trouble with Shizuku—"

"Are you the same?"

"W-What – what do you—"

"Do you have friends? Do real friends ask you for money?" Haru held onto his pride and thoughts, trusting them. It was evident in his face that he wanted to prove Shizuku wrong with Makoto's words.

Makoto turned her head to Shizuku. She was surprised to see her standing there. Faltering, she looked at Haru straight in the eye, and said, "As lame as this sounds, I have _one_. You just called her a bad person, which hurts me more than it might hurt her. Please… take that back."

Haru looked over her. "Why do you call Shizuku a friend, when she doesn't call you one?" With that, he left.

He didn't give Makoto a chance to reply. He was smart though, to know that Makoto couldn't reply to such a question.

Then, Makoto felt something fly past her. It was a drink that was thrown at the back of Haru's head. When Haru and Makoto turned around, there stood a pissed off Shizuku, her stick-like legs spread out, screw manners. When Haru's look showed intent on thrashing her, Shizuku grabbed Makoto's wrist and fled.

Makoto was still tired, so she was being dragged a bit. Shizuku grunted, "I'm not letting dad take away any more studying tools from me, so you're coming with me." She then cursed loudly. "What's his problem! I was just stating the facts!"

" _Shizuku_ —!"

Makoto frowned at her shoes being worn out even more.

* * *

"Did you or your sister manage to ask him?" Miss Saeko asked, as Makoto walked past the outside grounds that were like "halls" under a metal roof.

"No, sensei – and for that I'm—"

"You don't need to apologize," she sighed, looking to the side. Twiddling with her short, brown hair, she said, "Yoshida-kun is refusing to take my calls…"

Makoto kept an indifferent face. "You seem obsessive over Haru-san."

"I'm not. It's just that – Yoshida-kun will probably get expelled if this keeps up," Miss Saeko explained, wearing a sympathetic look.

Makoto parted her lips. _I can't let that happen. After all, he called me his…_

* * *

 _It's a miracle_ , she thought, as she stepped into the Misawa Game Batting Center. _I actually found my way here without Shizuku._

"Hello," Mi-chan greeted her. "Haru isn't here."

"Oh, um, that's okay Mitsuyoshi-san," Makoto waved off. "Just – please tell Haru-san that he'll be expelled if he keeps skipping school. I'm worried for him."

Mi-chan raised his brows. Before Makoto could leave, he stopped her, and asked her to hit some balls in the baseball simulator. She flatly refused, but he laughed it out of her to have a go at it.

" _Man, what's up with Haru?_ "

Makoto's eyes widened at the voice, stopping. The ball shot from the machine and whizzed past her, hitting the green fence behind her. "Isn't that…?"

" _He stopped giving me money._ "

" _Really? Does it matter?_ " questioned another voice. " _It's not like you're broke or anything_."

" _But it's lame. No point in bothering with him anymore._ "

"… Shizuku was right, Haru-san," Makoto said to no one, hitting the ball and missing the target. In truth, she was upset at Haru's 'friends,' at Haru himself, at Shizuku, and at herself. She was mad at each of said people for various reasons.

Hearing a shuffling noise behind her, she turned around, only to see Haru sitting down, leaning on the wall. Makoto flinched.

The longer she looked at him, the more pity she felt stack on top of each other inside of her. She stepped out of the ball simulator, and stood in front of him. That's when an early memory came to her.

 _I leaned down to Takaya to comfort him when he cried that one time, nine years ago._

She leaned down, and pushed herself, arms out, towards him. "Haru-san." She felt his nose tickle her shoulder, and his shoulders fall forward. He leant on her. Makoto couldn't stop the smile that crept up her face. "When you're sad, lean on us, okay?"

Haru didn't speak. When Makoto pulled back, she whispered, "Shizuku is not a bad person," before standing up and walking out the door.

She couldn't ignore that nagging feeling in her gut that told her to scold those boys lounging on those chairs to her left. They were so insensitive, it pulled out the motherly sides of Makoto she didn't like to admit - which was truly strange because, well, she grew up without a mother, more so than Shizuku.

As they laughed, she began walking towards them. However, a figure stood there, with two light brown pigtails, shaking. When they stopped laughing and looked at the girl, the boy in the now-black cap roughly asked, "What do you want?"

"Oh, isn't she the girl with Haru?"

 _After seeing that_ – _that look in his face_ , Makoto thought, _there's no way I won't do anything about it, seeing as Haru clearly won't. But_ – _but Shizuku is here. How…?_

"Yo – um – Yoshida-kun thinks you guys are his friends. So – if you consider him as a friend, y-you should be honest with him," stuttered Shizuku, her shoulders rising to her ears in anxiety. Makoto couldn't move. Shizuku never spoke for someone else's behalf like that. She never cared for anyone like that.

 _What is this?_

"Hmph. Despite being cute, you're kinda getting on my nervous," the guy in the cap grunted.

"Mabo—"

"Shush," he interrupted his friend behind him. "What's your problem, huh?" He reached out a hand, supposedly to harm the girl. Shizuku was ready for the impact, closing her eyes, but it never came.

Stopping Mabo's arm were two people: Yoshida Haru and Mizutani Makoto. "Lay a finger on her, and you die," Makoto darkly threatened, her hands shaking. She felt like a completely different person, like a protecting monster trying to do justice.

Shizuku's eyes widened at the voice. "Makoto…?" Makoto twisted the boy's arm and stepped back to watch as Haru snagged Mabo by the collar and pulled him up in the air.

Haru spoke with a tired look, "You guys should leave."

Shizuku stared in wonder at Haru, understanding that he had feelings but wondering just what did Makoto say to him. In the back, Mi-chan witnessed the scene as well. Yamaken looked at them, particularly at Makoto, realizing that she was related to them. From this, he just hummed quietly.

* * *

Makoto had music blasting into her ears through her earphones. Haru was walking her and Shizuku home. Though, walking side by side up the stairs, the city at sunset a wondrous backdrop with the dim streetlights flickering above them like a cliche horror movie... Makoto found tears in his eyes. She paused her music and stared, surprised. "Haru-san…?"

Shizuku looked back, and deadpanned. "Why are you crying?"

Haru wiped his tears with his green jacket sleeve. "No… I was so happy," he sniffed.

Shizuku looked away, biting her lip for a moment, before stepping down the stairs and hugging him, just as Makoto did not too long ago. Makoto gazed at the two with softened eyes. _Shizuku-san, you're changing too quickly…_

"It's okay," Shizuku muttered. "It won't be long before you're surrounded by lots of people." Her hold on him tightened slightly, before she let go.

"If – if you and Makoto are there," Haru rasped, hoarse from crying, "I'll try going to school."

The two sisters smiled at this. Makoto looked at him with wide, bright eyes. "I'll stay by your side, Haru-san."

"I'm glad to hear that," said Shizuku.

Haru's eyes twinkled, and his face heated up a bit. "Huh? My heart – it's beating fast!" he exclaimed, marveled at the feeling. "I think I like you."

Makoto saw who Haru was talking to, and it wasn't her. She smiled, understanding the difference between her and her sister. If it were to be the other way around… would it be different?

"I'm glad that you like Shizuku-san, and I have a feeling that you and I will be lifelong friends, Haru," Makoto laughed.

"Eh!? W-What are you talking about," Shizuku yelped. "I – I thought—"

"I mean, it's something I just know in my gut, Shizuku," Makoto insisted. "Haru and I are obviously not meant to be together. Even though I comforted him too back at the baseball place, just – look at you. I can see you two getting married."

Haru grinned sheepishly. "Really, Makoto?"

"I can't believe you two!" shouted Shizuku.

"Haru-san," Makoto spoke, looking up at him, "trust me when I say that Shizuku-san is the right one to like."

"Be quiet, Makoto," Shizuku groaned. "For all we know, he likes me in a friend kind of way."

Haru shook his head, which was what Shizuku feared he'd do. "In a sexual way!"

Shizuku caught something in her throat, and stepped far back. "W-Wait a second! You're just m-misunderstanding your feelings because you've never had any friends before, Yoshida-kun!"

Makoto took one glance at Haru, and then stood in front of him, her arm out in front of him as to protect him. "Shizuku, if he made more friends, would you believe him?"

"Like hell I'd believe him! Why are you taking his side!?"

"Love is a feeling that doesn't just disappear," retorted Makoto. "Haru-san's feelings won't change – he'll love you."

"Stop sounding so _confident,_ dammit!"

Haru could only watch Makoto defend for him. He only saw her as a friend, but she was something else – yes, she was a really, really good friend he was lucky to have. Shizuku wasn't a great friend like her, but he liked her as more than a friend for – for some _strange_ reason.

Perhaps it was Shizuku's tsundere-like nature, or just superficial reasons like her cute pigtails. Maybe it was the way she talked that enamored Haru, or the way she acted upon her words, even though it pushed her emotional limits. And it was for _him_. Haru could evidently tell that Shizuku wouldn't stand up for just anyone, and would most definitely not accept just anyone into her soft side. Makoto was the opposite, accepting everyone, doing these things for everyone.

And Makoto knew this as well.

It was a lovely April spring evening when Yoshida Haru confessed to Mizutani Shizuku. And Makoto knew that she was pushing this relationship in the right direction. _Shizuku-san, don't push away the love he'll bring into your life,_ were the thoughts of Mizutani Makoto, as she continued to live life bringing people to the light, with the cost of her soul in the shadows.


	3. Separation and Unity

**Last Written On: July 7, 2016**

 **Disclaimer: This fan fiction is non-profit, simply written for a writer's fangirl relief. Any familiar characters and references mentioned in the entirety of this fanfic do not belong to me, except for some plot adjustments to insert my OC in.**

 **Author's Note: Last segment of Episode 1! I think it's around Episode 3 when the story turns into a pretty different direction for Makoto. Ah, and I'd really appreciate it if you took some time to tell me of your thoughts with the story so far - it can literally be anything about it, from the style of writing, to my OC, to the other characters, etc. etc. :)  
**

* * *

01: "Sitting Next to Yoshida-kun"

Part III: Separation and Unity 

The next morning, Makoto found Haru hiding behind the school gates, trying to get Shizuku to help him. Shizuku being Shizuku, she refused.

A month later, things were the same.

"Shizuku! This guy is robbing me!" Haru had a bloodied innocent in his grasp. Everyone exchanged horrified glances. Naturally, with a straight face, Shizuku ignored him.

"The gym? I see… it's finally come…" Stripping _all the way_ in gym! Makoto couldn't believe it. Chaos ensued. Girls screeched, boys thundered.

" _Haru!_ What are you doing!?"

"But – _Mi-chan said that_ —"

* * *

"Hey, take me here." Haru held a flyer of a monja special for that month, which was May. He shouldn't have asked Shizuku though.

"No."

He pushed the paper to her head as she studied her trigonometry book. "Why not! We're talking monja! Monja!" he pressed furiously.

"Like I've _already said_ , _I want to study after school!_ "

" _MONJA! MONJA! MONJA! MONJA!_ " Haru bellowed in the halls, following Shizuku who covered her ears and sang tone-deaf in attempts to block out his sound.

Makoto sighed. "I could take you, Haru-san," she muttered. "Shizuku-san doesn't like it when someone's bothering her while she's studying…"

* * *

"You've _hugged_ her already?" Makoto blinked, mouth open. "Wow. You're moving fast. It's only been a month, Haru-san."

Haru wore a proud look on his face. "I read it in a book sensei gave me that if you hug someone, their heart pounds!"

"Is – Is that right?" She smiled nervously. _There's no doubt he got it from Saeko-sensei._

* * *

" _Sensei!_ " Haru shoots up his hand randomly. "What does it mean to treat someone with care?"

"You – you need to be considerate," was the teacher's reply, startled but intimidated.

"What do you do to be considerate?"

"Um, you – you should do nice things."

"Haru-san, this is our algebra class," Makoto whispered, tugging at his sleeve.

* * *

Haru sighed melodramatically. "Everyone's outside, having fun, eating dinner probably… and here I am, stuck here with you while you study, bored out of my mind." He pulled out the flyer, " _Hey_ , Shizuku—"

" _I already said that I'm not going!_ " Shizuku snapped. Makoto scratched her head.

"Haru-san, you should stop bothering her with that. She's worried about midterms," the dark-haired girl explained. Feeling warm, she tied her rather short hair up in a loose bun. Her hair wasn't very thin like Shizuku's, and it had short, curly locks that fell to the sides of her head. To many people, Makoto looked like a foreigner, though she had explained countless times that she wasn't.

Haru shook his head at Makoto. "You don't understand. It's not just about monja. Friends are supposed to hang out together, right?" he asked. He leaned on an empty desk. "I want to go with you. Nobody else is willing to look me in the eye."

"Well, that's because you're either glaring at them, threatening them, or beating them up," Shizuku said sensibly. "Besides… I have a rival in this school that's smarter than me."

"Hah?"

Shizuku went back to studying, so Makoto had to explain for her. "The opening ceremony's speaker in Syoyo High – and any other school – that delivers the speech would typically be the first-year student with the highest grade point average. Shizuku-san prepared herself all throughout elementary and middle school for this moment. However, she wasn't the one to speak. Someone else was supposed to, I don't know who, but that student wasn't there that day."

"That's why I have to redeem myself during midterms," Shizuku finished. "I have no time to waste on monja, see."

Haru scowled, pouting childishly. Makoto wished she had a camera to calm down her child obsession.

With a small glance at her paper, he raised his brows, "Oh, that's wrong." He pointed at a question Shizuku wrote on her notebook. "First, you find the coordinates for the intersection. And this answer is wrong too. It should be b=4, not b=8."

Makoto and Shizuku widened their eyes, as the memory came back. "Wait, Haru, _you_ were the one supposed to speak at the ceremony," the cat-eyed girl spoke in incredulity.

Haru blinked. "Hm?"

 _Wait. It all makes sense._ Makoto practically screamed, startling both Haru and Shizuku.

"What's wrong!?" Shizuku exclaimed.

" _Oh my gosh, Saeko-sensei…_ that's why! God!"

"That's why _what?_ "

"Haru-san!" Makoto rushed over to the two, grinning and barely containing her excitement. "You're a _genius_! Is that why? You think you should just skip a grade or something!?"

"Wait, you're… angry?"

"I – I don't know?" Makoto touched her forehead and laughed at herself. "Maybe I'm just tired? Maybe Saeko-sensei really is just obsessed with you? Maybe it has nothing to do with your grades? What about the love book…?"

Shizuku gave her a puzzled look. " _Huh_?"

* * *

"Oi, _you two_ ," Haru called out in the locker room, "why did you go home without telling me yesterday!"

"Did we have to tell you?" Makoto asked, confused. _Is this what friends do? Did that sound mean? It sure did come across that way, I think._

Beside her, Shizuku scoffed, and slammed her locker, promptly stomping away.

"What!"

"Ah, Haru-san," Makoto spoke in a worried tone, "please don't react like that. Shizuku's been studying harder than usual, and she's been lacking sleep. Leave her be on this."

Makoto fidgeted with the loose, yellow thread on her spring uniform sweater. "Besides… Shizuku doesn't want to see you anytime soon. You're her academic rival, and you're distracting her, so she wants to stay clear of you. I'm sorry for her behavior."

Haru cursed. "Why – damn _idiot!_ What's with her and grades!"

" _Haru-san_. It's all part of her dream."

"What dream!?"

Makoto shut her mouth, and closed her eyes. "It – it's nothing you need to know. I'll tell you another time. We have class."

Haru remained stubborn. "Why does she put so much time and effort on studying? Her whole life is _studying_ and _working_!" he groaned immaturely. "Every problem has an answer. How hard can it be?"

"Well, Haru-san…"

In a quieter voice, he added, "Shizuku must hate me."

"No. T-That's – that's not true!" Makoto exclaimed, shaking her head quickly. "Just… give her time."

* * *

"Oi," Haru gloomily spoke.

A girl two desks in front of Makoto shook violently, not daring to look at Haru in the eye. "Y-Yes!"

"Where's Shizuku?"

Makoto deadpanned. "Why do you never ask me these kinds of questions."

"I-I don't know," the girl stammered out. Her chestnut-colored hair was in pretty, layered waves that reached her chest. She closed a tab on her laptop, and kept trembling while doing so.

Sasayan, sitting two desks in front of Haru, turned around from his seat. "Oh, I saw her a second ago," he pitched in. Haru stood up loudly.

" _Where!?_ "

* * *

"Haru-san, _stop!_ "

Haru didn't stop. He kept running in the halls, to the second-year's floor, and slammed open the door. " _Where is Shizuku!_ "

" _Haru!_ " Makoto shouted, exasperated. Screw formalities.

She glanced around, and saw Shizuku with her textbooks and notebook, studying. The class flinched from the sight of Haru, as he gave off a dark aura.

Shizuku stood up, and took his arm. "Forget it. Let's go—"

"No way!" Haru shoved the girl away, alarming Makoto. " _I'm going to kill them_."

" _It's okay_ ," Shizuku insisted, grabbing his arm again. "Stop it—"

" _Shut up!_ " Haru punched Shizuku in the face, causing Makoto's heart rate to grow dangerously fast. She shrieked, rushing to catch Shizuku.

Her eyes were wide in shock. "H-Haru-san! How _dare_ you hurt her! I thought you'd never – _Shizuku-san_!"

The girl upperclassmen surrounded the two girls, as Haru went in and punched the boys. "Are you all right?" one of them exclaimed in worry.

Makoto's blood boiled. Shizuku was losing blood through her nose.

"I've," Shizuku slowly muttered, "had enough. We're finished."

Makoto connected her brows in worry and lingering anger. " _Haru_ , _enough_."

Haru finally listened to Makoto, and stopped. He analyzed the situation, and stopped his senior. "Makoto, _Shizuku_ —"

"I'm sick of your friendship games," Shizuku spoke, wiping the blood trickling down from her nose. Makoto asked one of the girls comforting her sister to get a tissue. "Just – just stop existing in my life."

She slowly stood up, as did Makoto, gripping onto her shoulders.

"… Maybe you thought Shizuku could provide you with the connection you always wanted, but – but she _can't_ give you that," Makoto admitted. "I've known her for practically all my life, and if there's something she cannot give to people, it's her shoulder. It's her emotion. It's – it's her heart. Do you know why?" Makoto tried to breathe.

 _To her… it's a waste of time._

Makoto did not want to see the look on Shizuku's face, but she's sure that she wasn't surprised in the least.

Haru was about to object, but he bit his tongue, and shrunk away. "So that's how it is." His dark hair shadowed his eyes. Makoto breathed in sharply, hoping that Haru knew that he was still a friend to her.

Perhaps… falling for Shizuku was Haru's big mistake. And supporting their relationship was a bigger mistake for Makoto.

* * *

The midterm grades were posted up, with Mizutani Shizuku placed first, Sawada Riku second, and Mizutani Makoto third.

"Yes – okay. Okay."

Makoto looked at Shizuku, who seemed reluctantly satisfied. "Why are you doing that?"

"Doing what?"

"Acting as if you're happy with your placement." Makoto stayed firm. "Look, I know you're not. And I'll be willing to get lost to go see Haru right after this."

* * *

"Oh, welcome," said Mi-chan. Makoto greeted back.

Haru flung back at the sight of Shizuku glowering down at him. Holding up a piece of paper, she said, "First, this."

"Huh? What's your point!?" Haru glared back. "You hate me so much that you want to rub it in my face? _Is_ _that_ _it_?"

Makoto whispered his name, deadpanning. Shizuku pressed her lips firmly together, refusing to say it until Makoto elbowed her hard. "Urgh. I – I don't hate you. When I – That time when I saw you crying, about a month ago, my heart was moved, okay? I forgot to tell you… thank you, for – for saving me." Shizuku smiled a bit. "You made me happy. Is that good enough?"

Makoto's smile grew on her face as she nodded. Mi-chan raised his brows. Haru's face changed for the better, and he couldn't stop grinning.

* * *

Since that day, Haru calmed down considerably. He respected Shizuku's study time, and didn't beat up as many people as before. He spent a lot of time with Makoto as well, asking her questions. That relieved her. A lot.

Whatever Shizuku cared about, Haru cared about too. Whenever Haru had a question about Shizuku, he asked Makoto, who tried to answer as best as she could.

Makoto was waiting in the gates for Haru and Shizuku to come out of the library. When they did, they crossed the bridge with Haru was singing, "Monja! Monja!" repeatedly, much to Makoto's curiosity.

"We're going to eat monja," Shizuku simply said. Makoto laughed with mirth evident in her eyes.

"Nice to see you care for him too," she said. Shizuku's cheeks reddened, averting her eyes. "Anyway, I'll go on ahead. I can see the restaurant from here, so don't worry about me."

Shizuku didn't catch this, but Makoto winked at Haru, giving him permission. His face reddened slightly, but then he laughed it off and mouthed his thanks to her. Makoto ran ahead.

When she was far enough to not be seen, she had Haru's phone and turned it on camera. Holding it up, she snapped a picture, trying to hide her amusement. "Oh, Haru. That wasn't what I meant…"

On the picture was a kiss shared on a bridge, connecting the forest trees and the city, under an elegant sunset. "How pretty," Makoto hummed to herself. "Haru-san will thank me for this. Should I ask for money?"

 _Nah, I'd be a bad friend._

Though, _if I ended the story here, I think back to it, and want more. So this can be the end for some people, but won't be. There's still so much to say, and I've only introduced what, a few people? What about the boy who took me out for sweets? What about my love life? I need to mention that._

 _And so the story continues…_


	4. Monja Studies

**Originally Written On : August 17, 2016**

 **Disclaimer : This fan fiction is non-profit, simply written for a writer's fangirl relief. Any familiar characters and references mentioned in the entirety of this fanfic do not belong to me, except for some plot adjustments to insert my OC in.**

 **Author's Note : My writing style is so inconsistent because it all depends on the genre I take on. Like, in my UtaPri Wonderland fanfic, my writing is psychological and more on the formal side. This fanfic's trying too hard to be funny, so I like to keep the style a bit more loose and casual. Yeah. I know you don't really care.  
**

 **I only mention this because I realize how many months ago I actually wrote this chapter.**

* * *

02: "Weird"

Part I: Monja Studies

Shizuku slammed down her bowl, and yelled, "Excuse me! I'd like a Baby Star monja and a cod roe mochi cheese and seafood monja!"

"Wow." Haru could only stare at how much food their table was getting. "Does Shizuku usually eat this much?" he whispered to Makoto.

Makoto shook her head, and whispered back, "Maybe she's stress eating. After all, you just— _well._ Speaking of which—" she handed him his phone, "—you're welcome."

Haru looked down, and saw the picture. He was stifling his laugh so hard that Shizuku popped a vein and shouted, "What's with you two whispering to each other, huh!? Shut _up._ I need to _eat my mind out_."

Mizutani Shizuku had been red-stained on the face and ears since Yoshida Haru had kissed her an hour before. Makoto sighed in amusement. Haru sure knew how to rave in Shizuku's thoughts.

"Ah, this monja is good," Haru breathed, patting his stomach. "It tastes better with you guys."

If Shizuku was blushing, she was burning. She whipped her head to the nearest waiter, and feverishly yelled, "Mixed monja with a double helping of _pork_!"

Makoto blinked in surprise. "You're still not done? I'm not paying for this, am I?"

"Man, my future wife will be hard to feed. She won't give anything to our poor kids!" Haru gasped. Makoto burst out laughing at this, while Shizuku was beginning to die.

* * *

 _In Shizuku-san's world, it began with her, and ended with her._

 _From a young age, Shizuku decided that her only concern would regard her grades. She didn't care about anything or anyone else_ — _not even me, or her family._

While Shizuku was in the produce store helping out her dad that morning, Makoto went to the library with directions to get there and back home. Takaya even gave her bread, rocks, and twine so that she had a trail to follow. Makoto appreciated Takaya's concern more than anyone knew, but she didn't use either of them.

At the library, Makoto began to read romance literature, which was her hobby, along with music and doodling (which she didn't take seriously). She was a bit surprised to see the library open that early, though Shizuku said it would be. It was nearly empty, with only her and the librarian. The librarian was kind, and told her that she could be as loud as she wanted, as the librarian was often bored taking the morning shift. No one visited then.

Thus, Makoto hummed as she pleased, plugging one earphone in and searching for a book. She thought she heard a noise when she pulled out _Romeo and Juliet_ , but ignored it. Before she knew it, her hand touched someone else's when searching for another book. "Oh, I'm sorry—" She abruptly stopped, stupefied at the tricks playing with her mind.

Green eyes clashed with hazel. " _You?_ " Yamaken scowled, startled. He then composed himself, and pulled out a book.

"Ah, I was— well, never mind."

Yamaken glanced at the cover of his book, then back at Makoto. "How many times have I bumped into you?" he questioned rhetorically. Makoto thought for a second.

"Hm, I'd say about three times now."

"Specific, but I didn't want an answer." He cleared his throat. "And yet I never heard your name."

Makoto looked up at him. "Well," she said, "I never thought I'd meet you like this again. Or ever. But, well— I remember a 'Yamaken' being thrown around, though that's quite a name, I'd say—"

"It's a _nickname_ ," he corrected in irritation. "My name is _Yamaguchi_ _Kenji_."

"Is that right," Makoto thought aloud, vividly imaging him adding, 'Stupid girl.' It seemed fit.

"It is. Stupid girl."

 _Ah._

"Well, _Yamaken_ -san," Makoto stressed, "it's nice to finally establish the name thing… oh wait— my name. Makoto."

"Unisex name; not fit for you."

"Well I didn't _choose_ my name—"

"Not something I truly need to know."

 _This guy._

He gave one last look at the book before giving it to her. "This isn't the book I needed."

Makoto blinked at the book given to her. Their fingertips brushed each other's once again. _It reminds me of that time I hugged Haru-san_ , she thought. Then, her spine ran stiff. _Am I naturally wary of boys?_

The blond boy watched her from the corner of his eye, and then looked for another book. "Your music is very loud," he remarked.

She blushed. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that, well— the world is so distracting with its noise, so I end up turning the volume up higher and higher, and it might get higher before I realize it."

"But this is the library," he deadpanned. "There's nearly no noise in here. Respect the library."

"I've just gotten used to it, I suppose. Besides, the librarian herself allowed me to be as loud as I want until you came along," she said, walking towards a table and settling there. Yamaken sat on the same one, albeit awkwardly. Makoto decided to not question it.

She felt no stare on her, so she read her book comfortably. However, the feeling finally came after ten minutes in.

She looked up from her book, and their eyes met again. "You have strange eyes," Yamaken commented, looking down at his book and crossing his leg on top of his other. "Were you born like that?"

"Offensive."

"Just answer the question."

Makoto smiled tautly. "I'm sorry. Yes, I was born this way. And no, I'm no foreigner."

"I wasn't going to ask." He flipped a page of his book.

Makoto, suspicious, watched him from the corner of her eye for ten whole seconds, before resuming her reading. When they turned the page at the same time, for some reason, she smiled. She felt Yamaken's eyes on her, and immediately stopped.

It was strange. Whenever their eyes met, they resorted straight to their book. Eventually, Makoto nodded to the beat of her song, and Yamaken watched her, without knowing that she was aware of it.

"Yo," he said. Makoto hummed. "How do you know Haru?"

Makoto stopped nodding her head, and paused her music. "Oh, well," she started, taking off her earphone, "it's kind of a long story that I don't really want to explain. I'll just— um, I'll just say that he's my classmate. I sit beside him."

"Oh."

Makoto played her music again, and ended up earing a soft, slow song called, "Undertale"[1]. She smiled wistfully. For some reason, that song reminded her of her birth parents. She always tried to skip that song because of the overwhelming feelings she felt from it, but couldn't that time. She sniffed and held her breath, waiting for it to be over.

"Are you—?"

"Huh? No, I-I'm alright…" Makoto drew in a sharp breath, "I'm fine."

Yamaken was far from convinced. "What's wrong with you?" he asked, slightly concerned. Was— was the girl before him about to _cry_?

It wasn't like he had any idea what to do at a time like this. He hardly knew the girl, and it wasn't like he really cared for her.

Nonetheless, concluding that it was the song she was listening to, Yamaken leaned forward and took the other earphone that lay on the table. With it in hand, he put it in his ear. Makoto was far too absorbed in her own thoughts to notice, trying hard not to cry.

Yamaken heard synthesized music, with a guitar, a piano, and some beats. But the feeling he got from it was surprisingly heavy and melancholy, as if a grand adventure was concluding and was nearing its end. However, it wasn't enough to make him cry or anything. Though for all he knew, the song being played in his ears had very sentimental meaning to Makoto.

Makoto looked up, tears in her wide eyes. "Y-Yamaguchi-san?" she hiccupped. Realizing her tears, she quickly wiped them. "Ah, what's— I'm sorry, this is, ah, this is…"

"Oi, stop crying…"

"I-I'm trying to," she sniffed. "It's just— my mom and dad, they— I don't know, but— this song—"

"Honestly, you're a mess right now. Wipe your nose."

Makoto stood up, causing the ear bud to fall off of Yamaken's ear. "I know. I'm sorry. I'll move somewhere else—"

"You're not bothering me, no. More of, you need to stop crying." Yamaken stood up as well, walking over to Makoto's frozen body and pulling out the earphone.

She looked down, silent. Yamaken checked the time on his wrist, and huffed. "I... need to leave soon."

"W… What?"

"It's almost eight. I need to go to school," Yamaken flatly said, turning to grab his bag she hadn't noticed before. Makoto sucked in a breath, mentioning that she needed to leave as well, and picking up her stuff.

"Yamaguchi-san, you're different," Makoto had to say. "You're not like the people you hang around with."

He scoffed. "Those imbeciles? I merely take delight in their nature. That is the only reason why I spend my time with them."

"Well that's… um, well— see, I can tell, Yamaguchi-san, that you don't mean that… is all." Makoto picked up the books and placed them back where she found them. She wiped her wet eyes on her sleeve, an action Yamaken couldn't help but stop to stare at. "You should be more honest with yourself."

He glared at her for one second, perplexed at her statement, but then looked away. "You should speak out your problems without twisting that tongue of yours."

Makoto laughed. "I— I guess we both have some social problems we need to fix…" Turning off her shuffle, she said her goodbyes to Yamaken, sounding as if she'd meet him again. Since they both related to Haru, Makoto assumed that they would meet again, and was somewhat happy for that. She thought that they could possibly be friends. He wouldn't be such a terrible one, after the unexpected service he had done back in the library.

She imagined that he'd just ignore her, and even stand up to leave her. That'd even be in some ways considerate, respecting her space and moment to herself. But he didn't leave her.

 _Why?_

* * *

"Make-up exam?" Haru echoed in a drawl.

Miss Saeko stammered, "E-Every student who failed a m-midterm is required to take the make-up!" She hid behind the door, unable to look at the boy. "Since you forgot to put your name and received a z-zero in every subject, you have to take m-m-make-ups!"

Curious, Haru turned to ask Shizuku, "Are you taking make-ups?"

"As if," she replied with a scoff, "I had the highest score in our grade."

He turned his head around to ask Makoto, "What about you?"

"I had the third highest score, so I won't be either…"

"Then that settles it. I'm not taking make-ups." Haru raised his arms up, his hands well settled behind his head, while Shizuku peered over his graded midterm. Her eyes widened, causing Makoto to look as well.

Before Makoto could inspect closer, Shizuku snatched the papers, scrutinizing each problem. "The hell is this."

"What?" asked Haru and Makoto in unison.

" _You_ —! You could've scored higher than me if you put your name on the paper!"

Makoto parted her lips in astonishment. " _Really_? Then, I wouldn't have been in the top three in placement—"

Both of them heard it. The class heard it, and looked up. Coming from Haru's stomach was clucking, then a huge, moving lump. Haru sweated over it, wincing and speaking gibberish at the lump. Shizuku, having enough, grabbed at the end of his shirt and yanked up.

Out flew a chicken— or a rooster of some sort.

"B-But I saw him walking around in the rain on my way to school!" Haru cried out quickly. For god's sake. "Don't you feel bad for him!?"

Shizuku rubbed her aching temple. "Haru… just— what?"

Haru grunted, took the rooster, and leapt out of the class window. All eyes followed his figure for a brief moment, before most of the classmates continued on as normal. _Wow_ , Makoto thought, _the students have actually gotten used to his bizarre behavior_.

Before long, Haru came back, and rested his head and arms on Shizuku's desk. "Oi. Why are you ignoring me?"

Shizuku tensed visibly. "I— I'm not."

"I've been trying to get your attention, you know."

Makoto watched the two, and noticed the blush creeping up Shizuku's cheeks. _Shizuku-san is painfully conscious of him, isn't she?_

She sighed. _Though, no one can blame her. She's never experienced such intimacy with anyone before. How can she break free from that memory of her first kiss with him, every time she sees him—?_

Her thoughts disappeared when Shizuku was completely red in the face, standing up while full-out shouting, expressing her frustration. Haru just stared, and then heard his rooster from outside, on the cardboard box he put him in. "Hey! What do you think you're doing!" he roared, jumping out of the window once more. Makoto deadpanned.

Then, that girl she saw earlier, with the chestnut hair and the cute face, called out to Shizuku, standing in front of her. However, Shizuku was too engrossed in her own thoughts, with her mind clearly racing and her face getting new shades of red. Then, she gasped.

* * *

"I'm hungry," Makoto thought aloud, thinking of that morning with Yamaken as it rained. "And I haven't finished that book…"

She wasn't listening to what Haru and Shizuku were saying, but she knew that Shizuku was stuttering and tripping on her words. It was raining, so Shizuku held her pink umbrella, Haru his black umbrella, and Makoto a red one.

Though, Makoto particularly liked the color green. It reminded her of nature. Growing up, she did gardening in the orphanage with her caretaker, who loved to plant.

It was until she heard her name being called when Makoto looked up. " _Mizutani-san!_ " she called out, reaching out and tripping on the slippery sidewalk. Makoto backed up into the road at this.

"Eh?" After shaking off that sudden collapse, staring at the banana on the girl's head (she had gripped on a trashcan before she fell, and it fell with her), she noticed the familiar, gingery color to it. "Na— Natsume Asako-san?"

Sniffing, she snapped her head up and cried like a baby, " _Please help me study_!"

That childish cry had Makoto creepily and quietly snorting.

* * *

Once again, Makoto found herself in the same restaurant where she ate monja in. This time, she read the restaurant's name properly, and read, "Tecchan: Okonomiyaki & Monja."

"I'm happy you know who I am," Natsume said to Makoto with sparkly eyes. Patting the rooster that sat beside her, Makoto smiled and shrugged. "Do— do _they_ know who I am?"

"I doubt it," Makoto sighed, laughing awkwardly. "Hey, you two. This is Natsume Asako, and she's in our homeroom. And Haru… I'd love it if you quit glaring at her. You're scaring her."

Haru kept glaring, so Shizuku simply said, "Just ignore him. He's scared of you."

Upon hearing this, Natsume was trembling slightly. "Hey, Makoto, if I can call you that," she whispered to the dark-haired girl beside her, "are you— _friends_ with Yoshida?"

"Eh? Of course we are," Makoto replied normally. "To be honest, he's my first friend…"

"W-What kind of friends do you like…?"

"Ah, I'm not strict Natsume-san," Makoto laughed. "That's exactly how I came to be friends with Haru-san."

"Ooh… you're already in the first name business…"

"Excuse me," Shizuku called out. "Can I get another pork and egg with cod roe mochi?"

Natsume jumped. "Oh! And I'd like the kimchi tempura and curry mix," she said. Makoto's eyes brightened at this, telling the chef that she wanted the same. Natsume was surprised. Makoto merely said that she liked that as well.

"You girls like to eat," Haru remarked. "You know, hanging out with all of you girls, do you think that I'll be acting like a girl soon enough?"

Makoto replied, "It's possible, though it's most likely not going to happen, knowing you."

"It'll be more like a harem," Natsume added. "Except none of us will fall in love with you."

Makoto laughed louder than Shizuku found necessary, as steam escaped her ears.

Once they got their food and began to eat, Natsume began explaining that she failed the midterm exam and many other minor exams in all of her classes, particularly math. She told them that she needed help in studying for the make-up exams that followed, so that she could avoid the risk of failing. Makoto knew that if Natsume failed the make-up exams, she'd have to take remedial classes the week after.

Natsume told them that she did not want to take the remedial classes because she had a very important appointment with her friends sometime that week that she'd hate to miss. Makoto internally sighed, wanting to know how having many friends felt like.

"So that's why, Mizutani-san—"

Makoto froze. She realized that her name wasn't being called when they were out in the rain; Shizuku's name was. She looked down, dismayed.

With a stiff smile, Shizuku interrupted, "I refuse." She wore that same smile and had spoken the same words to Miss Saeko, except with her dull eyes open to look at her.

Then, Makoto shook out of her depressed state. Even if she were the one to be called, she couldn't have helped Natsume, as she was busy for the week helping out with the produce store her father was running, and Takaya already booked her to help him with his studies.

Natsume tried to stay calm. She robotically turned to Makoto, "M-Mizutani Makoto-chan—"

"I— I can't either. So sorry!" Makoto bowed her head. "I'm busy this week. Shizuku is _not_ busy, however. She simply thinks that you're a waste of time. Haru-san is naturally smarter than all of us—"

"You _had_ to mention that," Shizuku groaned, with Haru chortling at the grump.

"—though I doubt that he'd want to help you, if that meant that he'd spend time away from Shizuku-san," Makoto finished. "Though, I'm curious— if you're okay with it, may I take a look at your grades?"

Natsume nodded quickly, unashamed. "Here, here!" Her hand shuffled inside of her green bag, and then out flew her unorganized test papers. Once Shizuku, Haru, and Makoto took a look at them, Natsume turned around and sobbed, "I'm uncannily _stupid!_ "

"… No kidding," Shizuku commented. "You answered every single question and still failed. Though," she put the test back down on the table, "that's your problem, not mine, or Haru's, or Makoto's. If you're so stupid, you should take responsibility in taking the remedial classes."

"Shizuku-san, that's just cold," Makoto huffed, her brows connected. "Sure, Natsume-san only had one to no questions right, but none of those words you chose to say were uplifting at all. If you still refused to help her, you should've at least told her to study hard and do her best."

"T-Thanks Makoto-chan," sobbed Natsume, "though _that_ won't do at _all!_ "

"I'm leaving now, Makoto," Shizuku curtly spoke, standing up and grabbing her bag. "Come on." She began to walk out, with Natsume bawling, calling out desperately.

Walking out, Haru observed, "It stopped raining."

Makoto walked a bit slowly, knowing that Natsume was paying. She wanted Shizuku to hear her out without leaving so suddenly. Natsume obviously needed help, but no way was Haru going to help her… right? She herself was busy, but if she _weren't_ , _naturally_ she'd help the poor girl.

" _I don't have time to take the remedial classes_ — _!_ " Without warning, Natsume began throwing up. Makoto widened her eyes, her figure planted in place, while Haru and Shizuku backed away.

"Natsume-san, are you all right!?" Makoto exclaimed, holding her to pat her back. She pulled Natsume's hair up, unaware of the "splash zone" she was in. _Could_ — _could Natsume-san be another friend of mine?_ Makoto wondered, then sighed. _I have too many "could-be friends"…_

"I'm sorry," Natsume sniffed. "I had too much to eat."

"Why would you force yourself to eat so much, then?" questioned Shizuku, still keeping her distance.

"If I were a light eater, too many boys would fall for me!" Natsume sensibly retorted. "I'm sure you've noticed how cute I am. Boys always flock to me, which is why girls shun me constantly."

Makoto made a face. "Girls are shallow," she stated. "Though, I won't shun you, Natsume-san. Ever." She patted Natsume's back one more time, before grabbing her wrist gently to catch up to the other two. The whole time, Natsume noticed how cold Makoto's hand was.

Natsume brought the three to a park, and told Shizuku to sit down on a dry spot. Then, she pulled out her laptop in her bag, and showed her an online high school community, explaining that her friend appointment was an offline gathering between members of the community.

"Sure, the members are all strangers," Natsume said with thoughtful eyes, "but they're the first friends I've ever made."

After giving a considerable amount of time looking at it, Makoto asked, "Are you that desperate of meeting them in real life?"

" _YES_ ," she quickly cried.

Standing up and walking away, Shizuku said, "I still refuse."

Natsume flung herself out to her. "Evil!"

As for Makoto and Haru, they stared at the screen. Haru looked interested in the gathering, and Makoto wondered if she could meet new friends through this gathering. Tying her hair to the side, she clicked on a few things on the website, and Haru watched her as she did.

"This is what you get for slacking," Shizuku flatly said. "Give up."

"Mercy! _Please!_ "

"Hey," Haru called out. Makoto blinked up at him, and realized how close they were. _Are friends usually this close in proximity…? Haha._ Nonetheless, she scooted slightly.

Haru then said, "I can help you study," causing Shizuku and Makoto to stare in disbelief.

Rushing towards Haru, Natsume exclaimed, "R-Really!"

"Yeah, I got you covered," Haru casually answered. "In return, take me with you to the offline gathering."

"Okay desu! Okay desu!" Natsume jumped for joy, fist pumping the air and hopping around like a child. Makoto laughed. Then Natsume faltered for a second and said, "Though, please don't fall in love with me. It'd be a hassle."

Haru nonchalantly replied, "No problem. That's never happening."

Shizuku sweatdropped at how the situation turned out. Makoto kept on humming in amusement, fixing Natsume's bag. "We're all so cute," she muttered to herself, smiling.

* * *

 **[1]: _Undertale_ is a very popular indie game created around September 2015 by Toby Fox. I wrote this chapter at maybe around October or November 2015, so um... I was real legit early trash back then. Certified. But then the fanbase ruined my high respect for this game, sadly. I still love the game itself. But anyway, one of the tracks in the soundtrack is self-titled, and it's one of my favorites.**

 **Closin** **g** **A/N : By January 2017, the updates for _Unfamiliarity_ will be once every other month or every two months. I'm simply super busy, even more so than last year, and I get easily stressed out with what I must do and prepare myself for. Well, it's not like many people are reading this story so far, so I shouldn't worry too much, but I still care for those who are reading now. I really want to hold your interest.**

 **That said, YamaKoto or MaKen? I just love Yamaken's character so I didn't want to leave him without somebody to love and someone to love him, haha! :)**


	5. Pass-Fail

**Originally Written On : September 21, 2016**

 **Disclaimer : This fan fiction is non-profit, simply written for a writer's fangirl relief. Any familiar characters and references mentioned in the entirety of this fanfic do not belong to me, except for some plot adjustments to insert my OC in.**

 **Author's Note : Almost forgot to update this month, ah, silly methinks.  
**

* * *

02: "Weird"

Part II: Pass-Fail

After school the next day, the four were at the school library, with short, extended shelves of books surrounding them. It rained that day as well, so Makoto marveled at the soothing sounds the rain produced.

Natsume's eyes sparkled with determination, her manicured hands holding tightly onto her math textbook. Makoto sat beside her, doing finances for her foster father with an exasperated look. Shizuku sat across from them on the same, long wooden table, studying. Haru held a paperback textbook and stood in front of a large whiteboard with a math equation, addressing to Natsume.

"Okay, watch closely," said Haru, as he wrote the procedure to that problem. Natsume examined the problem as she messily tied her hair to the side with a blue scrunchie. "You do this… to get this. Got it?"

Between Natsume and Makoto was a pink bunny the size of their head, staring into space.

"I don't understand!" Natsume concluded with a rigid smile.

Haru was looking at his textbook, ignoring her complaint. "Okay. Memorize that pattern." As Natsume visibly stiffened, Haru added, "For Japanese, English, and history, read the textbook. All done."

Shizuku sighed. She didn't break her eye contact with her study book. Makoto let out a "Huh?" (which was actually meant towards her calculations, but it quickly doubled as concerned confusion).

When Makoto glanced over Natsume's notes, she shook her head and took Natsume's pencil gently. "Ah, Natsume-san, it isn't x squared. There's only an x."

"O-Okay," Natsume noted, watching as Makoto fixed the problem. Makoto thought, _Her handwriting is a bit messy, as if she's unsure of herself every time she writes something_.

Haru planted his hand on the edge of the table, leaning over to check Natsume's work. "No, no— how did you get five, stupid?"

"Haru-san— let me help her for a second, and don't downgrade her. That only adds up to her pressure and causes her to mess up," Makoto sensibly said, stroking Natsume's hair. She was like a baby doll to her. "There, there, Natsume-san. Calm down, you'll do just fine on the make-up exams if you focus a bit more."

"Don't lie to her, Makoto," Shizuku said. "You'll let her hopes up too high."

"Quiet, dear Shizuku-san. She'll be fine if she applies herself today and for the rest of the week. Besides, I think setting her hopes up like this will cancel out her nervousness and bring out some newfound confidence." Makoto smiled sunnily, like a proud mother, while Haru explained the problem again to a quivering Natsume.

Shizuku stood up suddenly, shaking the table a bit. "I'm going to eat outside."

"Ah, but Shizuku-san, it's still raining—"

"I'll keep the rooster company," she said before leaving. Haru frowned at this. Several minutes later, Natsume excused herself for some "fresh air," and didn't come back. Makoto volunteered to go after her, and told Haru to find Shizuku.

* * *

 _There was a time when I've felt so, so empty. When I saw that_ — _that_ look _on Haru-san's face, I just knew that he was feeling empty, and it reminded me of that time. It reminded me of how the darkness surrounded me, and knocked at my door every minute, every second of my life. It still does today, and it scares me._

 _I was really, really young. I didn't have a great understanding about life and its value. I simply felt like I was living a dull life._

 _Though, despite that, I wasn't coldhearted. In fact, I was nice to everyone I met. Though, I felt like I was nice to people without a purpose. I didn't break rules because I just didn't want to see the unnecessary aftermath. I gave some hard-earned money to homeless people on the street when they could earn money themselves through working._

 _I wondered to myself, 'Why do I do this? Why can't I, just, break free? Why can't I not care anymore? Why have I created a front that everyone likes, but I can't keep up with?'_

 _It was until I bumped into a middle-aged woman when I knew. I was only ten years old, but I put my faith, my beliefs, on someone. It was better believing in something, being assured of something, rather than believing in things real in this world. I didn't like real things._

 _It took some convincing; I didn't immediately believe what this woman said. When she told me about the Bible, I could only see it as a book of fairytales mixed with lessons_ — _these rules and regulations. When she told me that those "fairytales" were real, historical moments, I didn't believe her. How could there be a worldwide flood? The Nile River into blood? Miracles? Creation? The concepts were new and strange to me, but then ideas in my head started to connect with these stories. Things began to make sense. The feelings of "right" and "wrong" became more distinct instead of jumbled (which I didn't like, since it confused me), and explained the feelings in my heart, my fears, and my thought patterns at times._

 _I told my foster father and Shizuku that I haven't been "going to the library" on Sundays in decent clothes (they thought that I was trying to impress a boy), and had been sneaking out to church with the lady. They weren't mad_ — _more of, they just didn't care all that much, as long as I found my way back home._

 _In middle school, however, I was ostracized for my beliefs. You'd think that I'd just stop believing, but I couldn't just stop believing in something I thought was true. My beliefs kept me from making really stupid decisions. They were reins to my darkest thoughts and feelings, not letting it spiral beyond my control._

 _Darkness and emptiness still nags at me, because I'm growing up, often wondering who I am. However, I know that one day, it'll all stop. I'm not afraid anymore._

 _I just want to help people now._ [1]

Makoto silently thought, _I feel like Shizuku is with Haru by now._

Before long, she found Natsume, stress eating in a corner of an empty classroom. "Um... Natsume-san?"

She squeaked, covering herself. "You didn't see me!"

"Natsume-san…" Makoto strode towards her, squatting down to her eye level. "You won't do well on the make-up exams and will grow fat if you do this," she remarked.

"You don't have to remind me _mother_ ," she whined, tears forming in her eyes. "I don't want to study! Why am I so dumb!?"

Makoto patted her shoulder with a frown. "You probably spend your time with that online community more than studying. The consequence is your cluelessness."

"I'm not clueless!" Natsume denied. "I'm just _dumb_!"

"You, er…" Makoto cleared her throat. "Natsume-san, if I were to be your friend and help you study... will you work hard?"

Natsume tried to comprehend what Makoto just said. She blinked several times, feeling unsure if she heard Makoto right. "You'll— _you'll_ — you'll be my _friend?_ " she spluttered in disbelief.

"You don't think I would anyway?" Makoto laughed. "Come on, _Asako-san_."

"A-A-Asako!" she exclaimed. "W-What—"

"You call me Makoto, I call you Asako," Makoto clarified, laughing.

"B-But that's because— your sister M-Mizutani-san—"

Makoto pulled her up and dragged her out of the room, not before shouting out the window, "Come back in, lovebirds!"

Natsume stared at the girl in wonder. The thought of her, for some reason, made her smile. Makoto knew that she gave that effect on people, where they felt calm around her. They could count on her. They trusted and relied on her. Though, the pressure was real at times, and most people stayed away from her, never to be subjected to that effect.

But if they were ever to be subjected to it, Makoto was often taken for granted. She was all too familiar with the time when Haru was being taken advantage of by his so-called "friends." Though, somewhere in Makoto's heart, she understood one thing: there were some people who'd never even think of taking advantage of anyone.

Natsume Asako was undoubtedly one of those people.

* * *

"Makoto! I don't understand this," droned Takaya.

Shizuku would peek occasionally from the corner of her eye at Makoto willingly helping Takaya out, despite Takaya giving her a hard time on purpose. Makoto had a problem when it came to her obsession for children and child-like people, and it appeared to be obvious very often, especially recently.

 _There's definitely something wrong with me_ , Shizuku couldn't help but think, as she twirled her mechanical pencil between her fingers. _Before, I didn't care what other people thought of me._

She slowly brought her head to the table. _I need to study for the final exams. I can't focus like this_.

 _Tests, tests, tests… there's so much background noise that I can't concentrate_. Though, Shizuku couldn't bring herself to tell off Makoto and Takaya. She didn't want to be reminded of how Makoto had something she didn't. And deep inside her, Shizuku knew that it was more important than any studying that she was doing.

It was just that she couldn't stop.

* * *

She heard water being splashed outside, despite the sun shining through the windows. It must've been the baseball team cooling off in the water spouts, laughing obnoxiously and carelessly shouting.

"Mizutani-san."

Shizuku, still in her depressed state studying at school, lifted her head from her study guide and blankly stared to her right. Propping himself from the open windows was Sasayan, beaming as usual. In several ways, it annoyed her.

"What's with that look? Don't remember me?" Sasayan pretended to be hurt, brushing off his baseball uniform. Shizuku adjusted her baby blue vest and cerulean tie (which hurt her eyes and also annoyed her that day). "You should try to remember the faces of your classmates," he suggested.

Once Sasayan mentioned his name, Shizuku zoned out and mumbled an, "Oh…"

"Hey— I'm interested in you," Sasayan decided to say. Shizuku just made a face.

"Why."

"Because I like you."

Sasayan kept that smile on his face, which began to creep Shizuku out. From the way it stretched to his bare ears, to his amused, greenish eyes bearing into hers, she stiffened in her chair for a moment. Then, she sighed, fleeting her chocolaty eyes to the papers in front of her. "Liar."

He laughed. "You can tell?" Then, he sobered up, and said, "It's just that you've been with Yoshida, and you're Mako-Mako's sister, who's really nice actually. So I was wondering what you were like."

Shizuku raised a brow, not looking up once. "You've met Makoto?"

"Yeah, she came to my house."

"… _She cost me a study guide that time_ ," Shizuku quietly groaned, breaking the lead on her pencil and having to push at the eraser top.

Sasayan went right to the point. "So, how'd you get that truant to come to school? Meaning Yoshida."

When Shizuku looked up again, having given up from the distraction standing by the window, she dryly gazed at his smirk. It truly was annoying. "Ask Makoto. I didn't do anything," she said. But then, she thought a bit more on it and added, "Though, he probably just wanted a friend. Didn't matter who."

After a moment of silence, Sasayan adjusted his arms that rested on the windowsill, and mentioned, "I went to the same middle school as Yoshida. He basically went three years without coming to class—"

He stopped when Shizuku was bending over to her bag and froze. She sat back up, a hand on her cheek as she contemplated. _Anything's possible with Haru…_

"My point is," said Sasayan finally, "you're 'who' must've mattered."

Sasayan left before Shizuku could properly say, "No, that would be Makoto, no doubt." Instead, she rushed to the windowsill and called out, "Sasayan-kun! I— I have a favor to ask."

* * *

Makoto headed to class 1-B to check if she left something in her desk, when she came across a zombified Natsume. "Asako-san! Are you okay?"

"Don't mind me. I'm just in _despair_."

To Makoto's right, though the open door, Miss Saeko was squabbling with Haru about the "no rooster to school" policy. Shizuku soon entered the room as well, deadpanning at the noise she heard. Makoto didn't bother thinking too much about it, though she only had a brief thought at how unladylike Miss Saeko was being with that face she was putting on.

"It's all over," was what the siblings heard emit from Natsume. "I didn't understand anything that he taught me, and there's no time left."

Then, Natsume suddenly pushed herself up and slammed her fists to her crumpled notebook. "Hmph! How cares about school anyway!? The real me lives on the Internet!"

Makoto sighed, "Oh, Asako-san, that's not—"

"On the Internet, I'm constantly surrounded my _friends_! Everyone comes to _me_ for help!" Natsume continued to sob. "There, I'm just an _ordinary girl with hair problems_ …!"

They both thought the same thing, but Shizuku bothered to say it aloud. "Wouldn't that just be living a lie?"

Natsume pointedly turned away. " _Just leave me alone._ "

Silence.

"… Neither of you could understand, being smart and all! Plus, Mizutani-san doesn't understand feeling. I-I'm not— _well_ — I don't _care_ if I'm living a lie, if it means I can be close to other people. It's so lonely when everyone keeps their _distance_!"

"That feeling, Asako," spoke up Makoto, "isn't just you. I've felt that for so long as well."

Makoto patted Natsume's head, feeling her soft, reddish hair, while Shizuku grabbed a chair and took Natsume's textbook. "Here, here, and here," Shizuku said, pointing at some sections with Natsume's mechanical pencil. "If you focus on these three sections, you should barely be able to pass."

As Natsume and Makoto turned to look at her, Shizuku continued, "There's a certain pattern to the test questions used, so if you nail these key points, you won't fail."

"W-What?" Natsume squeaked. Makoto looked over the text, and nodded in agreement.

 _Shizuku… she might just be trying to understand feelings and considering others_ , she thought. _And I think_ – _even if it's just a little_ – _she might be expanding her world._

"Haru!" Shizuku called out, causing Haru to turn. "Do you want to go to the offline gathering?"

Makoto watched Haru's serious reply, "Yep!"

Shizuku rarely smiled, but that moment was a special occasion. Natsume cried, "M-Mitty! Mako!"

"Aw, don't cry Asa-chan!" Makoto decided to call her, as soon as she heard her very own nickname. She couldn't hide the wide smile spreading across her face like wildfire. "You'll do _fine_ on the make-ups, and you'll see your friends at that gathering. I guarantee."

"R-Really? Even when it's tomorrow?"

The room suddenly felt chilly. Shizuku dropped the smile. "… What?" When she was about to slowly leave, Natsume grabbed her shoulders and evilly smirked.

" _No turning back now_."

* * *

"Would all of you stop _sleeping!?_ "

"Shizu, you're scaring her…"

"Don't call me that _stupid_ name Makoto! And Natsume, get this simple formula into your _freaking_ thick skull already for hell's sake!"

" _Evil_!" Natsume bawled. Mi-chan swept behind a sleeping Haru and a drowsy Makoto, keeping his long-closed space clean. The rooster resting on Haru's arm clucked once, then twice. Makoto reached out a lazy hand to pat it, and she finally could do it without it snapping at her fingers.

Shizuku just about lost it, standing up from the green couch and rudely pointing. "Do you _realize_ that I'm pulling off an all-nighter for you, you ungrateful _brat_?"

"Why're you kids studying here again?" Mi-chan asked, habitually smoking on his cigarette with his casual outfit and usual jewelry that bothered Makoto. She didn't want to fall asleep smelling smoke all night and walking out smelling like it the next morning. Plus, Mi-chan still refused to remove those shady glasses.

No one was listening to him, so Makoto finally answered sleepily, albeit in an unhelpful way, "Don't know."

"You should sleep, Cat Eyes," he chuckled.

 _Yeah… Mitsuyoshi-san isn't bad, no,_ Makoto thought before dosing off.

Mi-chan sighed, "Can I go home now?"

"You stay right _freaking_ here. All of you. And _awake_ in two seconds or else someone will die."

The dark circles under everyone's eyes didn't seem to speak loudly enough for Shizuku's rage… it seemed.

* * *

" _Makoto-san_! You're the only person I can look to! Just— just _cook_ this rooster already!"

"… Oh, but I've recently become a vegetarian, Saeko-sensei—"

"Cut the crap! Take this away!"

"Isn't that Haru's though?"

"He won't listen to me! At least convince him or something!"

"Saeko-sensei, I'm sorry. But that rooster is much loved."

" _Even you, Makoto-san…?_ "

Makoto couldn't face the chicken she packed for lunch.

* * *

"Natsume-san! You did it!"

Shizuku peered over. There she was, with her cat eyes and foreign appearance, giggling and praising Natsume, who'd gotten a 32 on her remedial exam – a barely-passing grade, but a passing grade nonetheless.

"Hmm! _Hmm_!" Natsume couldn't stop shaking. It was almost as if she was going to drop the papers at any second from how much her hands were trembling. " _My highest score ever_!"

"See? You're super smart if you try!" Makoto praised.

Shizuku nearly snorted, before glaring holes into the 100 marked in red on Haru's exams. She averted her eyes, and tried to focus on her notes, while Makoto briefly praised Haru for his expected grade.

 _We're all on good terms with each other!_ Makoto couldn't help but be happy about. _We look like a group of close friends! Oh my Josh!_ [2]

"Makoto, stop giggling," Shizuku sharply rebuked.

Makoto flung her hands over her mouth, barely containing her smile. "Sorry, Shizuku-san," she managed to say.

* * *

Makoto's smile twitched. "W-What happened…?"

In an enraged voice, Natsume roared, " _Haru-kun ruined everything!_ " She was shaking in her oversized, purple button-up sweater, all for different reasons than when she passed the remedial exams. The pink bow around her collar was ready to choke her.

Haru, fed up with this again, scoffed. "I'm never going to one of those again."

"Please, don't fight… what happened to all of us looking like best friends?"

"Best friends? _Best friends?_ With _this punk?_ " Natsume spat. Makoto shivered.

Then, Natsume started whining again. "I didn't get a chance to talk to any _girls_. Then, Haru-kun got into a fight about something stupid! Life is evil, _Mako_ - _chan_!" The ginger fled to her seat to bawl into her arms rested on the table, while Haru harrumphed like a child. Shizuku laid her book down, mentally concluding that there was no way she could read with all the _noise_.

Makoto picked up Natsume's laptop, already open on the desk in front of her.

"When I logged on to the community again," Natsume blubbered, "everybody gave me the cold shoulder."

"Poor Asa-chan," Makoto said in pity, rubbing soothing circles into her friend's back when she gently placed the laptop down. She pulled her ginger hair back, and began to braid it. "You still have me! They aren't your true friends. They were never your true friends!"

"Yeah… you know what, Mako-chan? I quit," Natsume conclusively declared, snaking her hands towards the laptop and logging out. Shizuku, standing behind the two girls, wore a mildly astonished expression.

" _Oi_!"

The students in the room turned to Saeko-sensei, who was teary-eyed and pissed off. " _Haru! How many times must I tell you not to bring this rooster!?_ " In between her words, she yelped in pain at the rooster, as it pecked at her scratched and bleeding cheek.

"Oh." Shizuku seemed to remember something. "Haru, Sasahara-kun volunteered to take care of the rooster. I distinctly remember him saying, 'Sure, I like fried chicken.'"

Makoto rubbed her temple.

This day.

Was she a masochist, because she loved it.

* * *

The breeze could be especially felt on the rooftop. It was soothing, and it didn't bother Makoto so much when it ruffled her dark hair. "Nature is so pretty," she sighed contentedly. Beside her, Natsume was looking down at Haru, who was looking for Shizuku, it seemed.

Natsume smiled, closing her eyes. " _Mitty_ — Haru-kun's looking for you," she sang, giggling. "He reminds me of when my dad's looking for his socks."

"Me too," Makoto laughed softly. "With my father."

Shizuku muttered tiredly, hazily gazing at the floor, "Don't say anything. It'll just get noisy again." Makoto glanced back, smiling slightly, and rested her head on her arms that settled firmly on the bar.

Natsume skipped to Shizuku, and cocked her head to the side. "Eh, you look tired," she observed with a small frown. Then, she perked up, "Ah! I'll buy you something to drink. You know! To thank you for helping me with the exams."

"I'll come with you," Makoto suddenly said, rushing to join Natsume. "Shizuku-san, just stay here and rest for a bit."

Shizuku, open-mouthed, let out a long breath, and closed her eyes for a minute, relaxing her body on the wall that let others come into the roof.

"She must be exhausted from spending all this time with us," Makoto fretfully laughed out. "I'm rather tired myself."

"Really? But she's the one who's been involving herself with us the least," Natsume thought aloud. "Oh, save that all-nighter. If I think about that time… well— now I'd say that she's been working hard…"

Makoto nodded, looking up at the school ceiling thoughtfully as they stepped down the stairs. "Shizuku has never really done anything like that before. She deserves to rest, if only for a few minutes."

When the two girls came back, Makoto nearly dropped the juice in her hand. There Haru was, adjusting Shizuku's position so that her back wouldn't ache when she woke up. Shizuku looked so peaceful when she slept, open-mouthed, as if she wasn't getting enough oxygen in her sleep. Her chestnut-colored bangs framed her pale face, in a way that made her look pretty in Makoto's eyes.

Haru lifted a finger towards his lips.

Natsume stepped back, nodded vehemently, and quietly scurried back into the school building. Makoto was still glued to the spot, hesitating. "Haru-san," she slowly murmured, "please take care of her. Don't hurt her."

He nodded with a grin. Makoto's heart skipped a beat. _How sweet…_

Then, she left. She thought it was better if the moment spent between Shizuku and Haru was left for only the two of them to know.

She couldn't help but think, _This is the first time Shizuku's skipped class. Her world… is growing, and changing. All because of Haru, by Haru._

 _Shizuku-san… do you regret meeting Haru-san after all?_

* * *

 _Unfamiliarity Omake: Creepy Internet Natsume_

" _Makoto_ …"

"Hm?"

Shizuku was sweating, her skin paling to a frightening blue color, fear flashing in her eyes. She averted her gaze to the wall and lifted a shaky finger towards Natsume's laptop. " _Look_."

The cat-eyed girl blinked. "Okay," she slowly said, sitting on Natsume's empty seat and adjusting the laptop in front of her. She squinted her eyes at the internet page. "It's just an article—"

" _Read it,_ " Shizuku interrupted briskly, tightening her grip on the notebooks held close to her chest.

Makoto skimmed the page. On the top of the page, there was a cutely-presented title, with bears on the side, the title typed in pink, "Helpful Advice from Golubaeser Asako." As she read Natsume's entry draft, she noticed some… key words.

 _Into a human shape_

 _And your own hair_

 _Burn_

 _First, secure two strands of hair from the target to make him or her yours—_

Makoto slapped the laptop closed.

* * *

 _Unfamiliarity Omake: Nagoya's Screen Time ft. Natsume Asako_

"How did you get here?"

 _Cluck_.

"Are you lost?"

 _Cluck._

"Ah, um – have you heard this song before? Eh – _chicken, chicken, chicken! Uh chicken, chicken!_ "

 _CLUCK—_

" _Itadakimasu_ – uh…" [3]

* * *

 **[1]: Okay. Please no backlash on Makoto for being a Christian. I felt like I needed to give an explanation as to why she behaves that way and keeps it like that. I am also personally a Christian, and Makoto's Christian-like thinking is actually how a lot of Japanese Christians see it. At my church some families house a Japanese college student every August, and I got to meet some of them and see them hear about things they always ignored previously or haven't heard about. I'm just babbling at this point, but I hope it's not too much of a problem for those who are uncomfortable with "religion" and such.**

 **[2]: "Oh my Josh" is a joke my friend and I made for Josh Dun, the drummer of twenty one pilots. We're so obsessed it's baaaad.**

 **[3]: "Itadakimasu," if you don't know, means "thank you for the food." It's almost like a prayer before you eat, just respect kind of thing. So it's awkward to talk about eating chicken... in front of a rooster-chicken.**


	6. Sorry not Sorry

**Originally Written On : November 10, 2016**

 **Disclaimer : This fan fiction is non-profit, simply written for a writer's fangirl relief. Any familiar characters and references mentioned in the entirety of this fanfic do not belong to me, except for some plot adjustments to insert my OC in.**

 **Author's Note : I FORGOT TO UPDATE HAA I'M SUCH A DORK. Well here you go then... crying.  
**

* * *

03: "Nuisance"

Part I: Sorry not Sorry

Makoto stopped walking. "This song is so strange."

"How so?" Shizuku decided to ask, fixing her flyaway bangs.

"I'm not an English genius, but it keeps saying, _Presh sass_ _fall youth_."

"Are you sure it's not saying, 'Fresh ass for you.' Because that's probably what it's saying."

Shizuku snatched one of Makoto's green-lined earphones, shoved it in her ear, and swiftly yanked it out, taking the other out of Makoto's ear. "What the hell Makoto! It's so loud!" she yelped.

Makoto forced a laugh, "Sorry?"

"Don't _sorry_ me," the latter scoffed. "Turn it down. I swear, you're deaf."

"Sorry," apologized Makoto again, turning the music off altogether. They began walking again to school, when she changed the subject. "How are you and Haru-san?"

Shizuku's face slowly reddened until it became hot. "Let's talk about something else," she said between clenched teeth. Makoto almost thought she was sweating. "How's that English report?"

"Oh, that?" Makoto lifted her head up to face the sky, her hands busy fiddling with the earphone cord. "I'm nearly finished. I just have to revise it one more time and put a title on it. But English is so hard."

"What about math?"

"Math is absolute. It's either this or not this. At least, that's what I thought before I met probabilities." Makoto sulked.

Shizuku hummed. "You've been struggling on that when we've learned it for three years straight, Makoto. Plus, that's old algebra."

"I know right!" the cat-eyed girl let out, smiling, but in a way that seemed like smirking to Shizuku. "… Maybe Haru-san can come over to our house and help me out with—"

" _What the hell._ "

Makoto blew raspberries. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, she yelped. " _Wait!_ It's _Precious for you!_ "

"Makoto _, quit it._ "

"I sincerely apologize…"

* * *

"Sorry dudes," Sasayan laughed, with the chicken-rooster in his arms. "I can't keep him at my place."

As he laid him down, Makoto was down on her knees to pet him. "Aw, that's a shame."

"Well, we have a pet cat," he explained, patting down his yellow sleeveless sweater. When Makoto thought about it, Natsume had a pink sweater, Shizuku a blue sweater, and herself a purple one. _What a liberal school dress code_ , she thought.

"Ah, that would be dangerous," Natsume commented thoughtfully. "The cat will eat the rooster."

"Actually, my cat's too scared to come down from the dresser now," Sasayan clarified, shoving his hands in his pockets. Makoto glanced down at everyone's bottom clothing. _Well… at least we all are wearing the same patterned bottoms._

Suddenly conscious on the way she was sitting, Makoto stood up shakily. Sasayan grabbed ahold of her arm, "Whoa, are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah. I think I'm just feeling a headache coming on is all."

Shizuku snapped her head up. "Makoto, what time did you sleep last night?"

Makoto looked back, thinking for a moment, then froze. "Haha. I don't think I slept."

"Pardon?" she let out, eyes squinting and twitching.

"Err, I was helping Takaya with his homework, and I had to deliver some things from dad's store for him, so I didn't have time in the day to do any of my homework. Sorry?"

Shizuku groaned, her hands balling into fists. "Geez, Makoto. Care about yourself for once. You've been really weird since this morning, and now I know why."

"I'm sorry, Shizuku-sa—"

"Would you stop apologizing already? It's long lost its meaning—"

"Why did you bring it _back_ , Yoshida-kun!?"

Haru wore a weary look on his face, as he turned to Saeko-sensei. "You never stop, Saeko."

The rooster cocked its head to multiple sides, perceiving the scene.

"Hey, can we keep him at school?" Sasayan asked. "We had chicken coops at my grade school and middle school."

"I think we had one at our middle school," Natsume realized.

"Really?" Shizuku pitched in, writing in her notebooks sprawled all over her desk. "I never noticed anything."

Makoto laughed shortly, "I expected that from you."

Sasayan smiled brightly. "So, sensei, can you ask for permission?"

Saeko-sensei jerked. " _What!?_ No way! You kids have no idea how much of a pain those geezers are—"

Well…

Moments later, Saeko came back, and quietly said, "They gave permission…"

Sasayan, Natsume, and a chicken-holding Haru threw their arms up in celebration. Shizuku still stubbornly sat on her seat, acting as if she wasn't affiliated with them. Makoto sat on Haru's seat, feeling a migraine coming on, but smiling through it. Saeko-sensei questioned her life choices, her hand on her mouth, crouching to the side.

Then, after some students passed by her whispering to themselves, Saeko-sensei hastily stood up, dusted her pants, and stammered, "Y-You better take good care of it, Yoshida-kun! I'm counting on you, Mizutani-san!"

"She means you, Makoto," Shizuku casually and swiftly said.

"I think she means you actually, Shizuku-san…"

"I mean _both of you!_ And don't you dare back away, Mizutani Shizuku-san!"

Makoto closed her eyes and stiffly smiled. Had it always hurt to smile? Or was it just because she had a headache? "Rest assured, Saeko-sensei. Shizuku-san and I will care for this rooster so that you don't have to be anywhere near it anymore."

Saeko-sensei had tears in her eyes. "Makoto-san, why are you the only polite, sane person in this planet? What's your secret?"

"I don't exactly— well— I just try to be nice and calm, and— just think positive, sensei," Makoto stumbled. Wow, it was getting hard to think.

"Mako-chan! Don't hurt yourself!" Natsume exclaimed. "I will help with the rooster."

Sasayan turned to Haru, "I can lend a hand, since it's kind of my fault."

Haru wore an amazed, rosy expression. "You're a nice person, Sasahara-kun," he remarked.

"Call me Sasayan."

"Sasayan-kun."

Makoto glanced over at Shizuku. She seemed tired as well— probably just stressed out. Makoto reached out a hand to touch Shizuku's arm, and assured her, "I'll take care of it. You don't have to do anything, you know."

Shizuku, in turmoil, shook her head and swatted her sister's hand away. "Makoto, stay out of this. Focus on your studies. And get some sleep d*mmit."

She smiled, resting her head on the table. She inhaled the scent of a live chicken on the table, and slightly smelled Haru. "Okay."

* * *

Makoto heard muffled voices. Sasayan had draped his baseball jacket over Makoto's shoulders, so she could sleep well. Her eyes were closed, her expression more vulnerable, but overall peaceful. She rested her head on her arms, crossed over each other on the edge of the elongated, wooden school library table – the same table where Natsume was first studying with Haru as her tutor.

"That should cover everything," Natsume concluded, hands on her hips triumphantly. As she gestured to the whiteboard behind her, she added, "We just need to figure out what we're doing about the chicken coop."

Makoto sleepily cracked an eye open, her head positioned to look to her right. On the white board, it wrote, "The School Rooster Committee. Kick-off Meeting. Name: Nagoya. Clothing: Feathers. Food: Chicken feed. Shelter: Chicken coop."

 _Clothing: Feathers_ , she repeated in her mind. _Clothing: Feathers... what? Haha._

"Oh, Mako-Mako must be dreaming something nice," Sasayan commented, grinning. He leaned forward to pat her dark hair. It was darker than his, but slightly lighter than Haru's, in a way that could let anyone know that her hair wasn't black. Something about her hair felt almost exotic to him. It was layered and messy, similar to Natsume's, except slightly shorter and the bangs differed. They clumped in the middle in this cute way and curled near her ears. She wasn't absolutely beautiful, but she wasn't quite like the ordinary.

Not that Shizuku or Natsume were exactly normal either.

What was "normal" again…? Right. Someone like him was. That was why Sasayan slightly envied the group he was in— like, seriously, people _that_ obsessed with grades or roosters were just not normal— not that he had any right to say that out loud.

Shizuku continued to take notes in her science notebook, while she was forced to attend this "meeting."

"Mizutani Shizuku-san," Natsume prompted in a hollow voice, "please participate."

Shizuku stiffened.

Haru, leaning his chair back, questioned, "How do you build a chicken coop?"

"Ah, I can look that up," Natsume said with no problem. She held up her laptop with a glint in her eye, her voice lowering considerably, "You can find anything on the Internet."

"Google-sensei," Makoto quietly muttered, "can be dastardly."

Sasayan started even stroking Makoto's hair. "Hehe. Go to sleep, Ma-ko-Ma-ko," he sang. Then, he pitched in, "There's a hardware store near my home. I could go buy the materials."

Natsume gasped, slamming her hands on the table. This jolted Makoto awake, her eyes wide. "L-Let's go together!" Natsume shouted. "Sorry, Mako-chan!"

"It— it's okay!" Makoto waved off, wearing a puzzled expression but pretending she wasn't aware of it.

"We can all go over the weekend!" continued Natsume.

Sasayan was the first to say something. "Sure, I guess… mind if we go after my practice?"

"That's _perfectly okay!_ " Natsume agreed. "Now that that's set, it's time for the next step."

"Next step?"

"Choosing a meeting place! You know, a location and time!"

Shizuku and Makoto saw from the corner of their eyes Haru, who seemed really happy and excited about "going out with his friends." Shizuku sighed through her nose, her elbow propped on the table and her hand on her cheek.

Makoto observed Shizuku's disturbed expression. It seemed like she was thinking of how to balance homework, dad's store, and whatever the chicken problem was. In actuality, she was thinking about Haru asking her out. But Makoto didn't know about that at all. Though, she considered it, if only for two seconds, before crossing out that possibility rather mechanically.

While Shizuku wasn't aware of it at all, Makoto noticed Haru staring at Shizuku for a while now, while she was drowning in her thoughts. Then, he looked at Makoto, who was asking him questions with her green slits for eyes.

He motioned her to come closer. She did. Then, he told her to turn to her back. She did. When he put his finger to her back, he began writing on it, which tickled quite a lot. _She… lied… to me_ , Makoto read sleepily in her mind. _She said… she liked… me. So I… asked her… out. Then… she… took it… back._

'Poor Haru-san,' she mouthed, whirling around and grabbing his hand. She put his hand to her forehead, and let it stay there for a moment. "Don't worry. Shizuku-san's just barely adjusting to the new world you're bringing to her."

"What are you guys talking about over there?" Shizuku questioned. "I heard my name. Also, Makoto, what are you doing?"

Makoto gently let go of Haru's hand. Haru stared at her for a long time, before grinning. "I can wait," he said. He added in a low whisper as he leaned towards Makoto's ear, "But a man has his needs, y'now?"

"Wha—at." Makoto didn't flush, nor did she try to think about it, but in the end she thought about it. She found it very upsetting.

"Huh? What'd he say to you Mako-Mako?" Sasayan asked.

"Erm. Nothing important," Makoto managed, shaking her head and fighting the urge to blush. Haru was sexually attracted to Shizuku, the most not-sexual being she'd encountered. Sexually attracted to her sister, who may only see the idea of sex as a survival tactic over the course of the evolutionary history of mankind.

Or maybe he meant "needs" as having a girlfriend.

That's right. Haru couldn't be... yeah he could, actually.

" _Makoto_ ," Shizuku pressed.

"Um! What?"

"Are you okay?" Natsume questioned with concern, tilting her head.

Makoto tried to cover it with a smile. "I'm fine. Haru-san was just saying something silly to me."

Makoto laughed, but there was a sense of insincerity that no one dared to point out. They blamed it on her tiredness. Makoto didn't like how she was lying more than usual.

* * *

 _Shizuku will be running late_ , Makoto thought, as she left the house. Her father wasn't in the house; if he was, then he'd force Shizuku to watch her. Makoto was going to get lost if she went anywhere besides the library.

The girl was so excited to go out with her friends that she braided her hair to the side and dressed more cheerily. She had to shuffle through her old, used clothes and Shizuku's grandma clothes to find something appealing. Her concluded outfit consisted of a simple pastel teal knee-long dress with a white, sleeveless knit cardigan, along with a pair of black slip-ons. It was fun to finally wear her birthday present: a necklace with a dark green pendant.

Shizuku was fast asleep in her bed. She was more tired than Makoto was. Since Makoto had slept rather early the night before, exhausted all day that day, she felt sunny that morning, and almost shook Shizuku awake so that she wouldn't get lost. But alas… Makoto was too nice for that.

By asking three people, looking at the town map upside-down multiple times, and using a cheap, lent GPS, Makoto found the Misawa Batting Game Center.

It was an impossible feat made possible! (Just barely)

Someone was stepping out, and she blinked in surprise. In front of her was a man that looked oddly like Haru, with dark hair that lengthened down his neck, and an older face.

" _Are_ _you_ — well, maybe not."

The man hummed in question, smiling politely. "Have we met before, miss?"

"Um, no. Actually— do—" Makoto cleared her throat, "—do you have a brother or cousin or some sort? Possibly younger? Named… Yo— Yoshida Haru-san?"

His face lit up like a Christmas tree. "I do! Are you his girlfriend?"

" _No._ No," she laughed nervously, glancing off to the side and clasping her clammy hands together. She was too surprised to manage a blush. "Just a friend. I'm meeting with him and some other friends to uh, do something together."

"Well, that seems fun," he cheerfully said, smiling a smile much like Haru's. "I'm being in your way, aren't I? I think I saw some other young teens that may be your um, _friends_ earlier. They must be waiting for you, so I won't busy you any longer. Have a great day— oh wait… did I catch your name?"

Makoto widened her cat eyes, and bowed awkwardly. "Oh! I'm Mizutani Makoto, sir."

"Don't 'sir' me!" he chuckled. "My name is Yoshida Yuuzan. Don't forget it, okay?"

"Ah, I won't."

"Good! See you sometime!"

And with that, he left. Makoto felt somehow winded. Was it because he was really handsome, or was it really just the fact that she'd met Haru's older brother? And that Haru had never mentioned him before? Or possibly the fact that she may see him again, from what he said? _'See you sometime'?_

When she entered the building, the cat-eyed girl only found Mi-chan in the room. "Ah, Mitsuyoshi-san," she greeted with a smile and a wave. In turn, Mi-chan momentarily set down the newspaper in his hand, sucked in the smoke from the stick between his fingers, and pointed to a door with his other hand.

Makoto turned, and nodded. "Thank you! And please, if you can, switch to e-cigs," she said before hurrying off. Mi-chan simply chuckled at her request, and kept on smoking.

"Am I late?" she exclaimed, sliding the door. Sasayan was handing Natsume a metal bat, when he spun around and shook his head.

"Are you feeling better, Mako-Mako?" Sasayan asked with an eager grin.

Makoto nodded her head profusely. "I'm all right, Sasayan-san!" she replied with matching eagerness. "What are we doing?"

"I want to learn how to play baseball and stuff!" Natsume determinedly said.

"Where's Shizuku?" Haru inquired.

Makoto opened her mouth, about to say something, when Shizuku rushed into the room and knocked her over. "S-So— Sorry," she heaved. "My brother broke my alarm clock…"

"I… knocked it over on accident, actually," Makoto confessed beneath her sister. They both quickly tore themselves off the ground.

Before Shizuku could ask how Makoto got here by herself, Makoto took one look at her sister and sighed. The three people standing in front of the sisters and Makoto herself said in unison, "Granny clothes."

From the ugly pink sweater— did she think it was snowing in this summer heat?— to the long, battered red skirt, to the subtly-stained socks, Shizuku was sooner or later going to be mistaken for stealing her grandmama's clothes. It was hideous. Makoto wished she laid out some clothes for her to wear.

"Why is it that Makoto wears such cute clothes and you go and wear something like _that_!?" Haru yelled.

"S-S-Shut up!" Shizuku stuttered, her flushed cheeks reddening considerably. Makoto also blushed a bit, flattered that her clothes didn't seem strange.

"You look— um, fine, Shizuku-san!" Makoto couldn't help but lie. It was for the sake of helping, but well.

"I was in a _rush_!" Shizuku retorted.

Sasayan chirped, "Excuses!"

" _Mean_! All of you! Let's _go_ ," Shizuku roared, stomping away.

Makoto tried to smile. "Shizuku-san won't remember this very well later, so don't think that she hates any of you," she reassured. "We should go anyway now."

 _I feel sorry still_ , Makoto thought, but laughed about it instead.


End file.
